Prevalence Estimation of Dementia/Alzheimer’s Disease Using Health and Retirement Study Database in the United States

Background

Updated prevalence estimates along the continuum of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) can foster a more nuanced and effective approach to managing AD within the current healthcare landscape.

Objectives

This study aims to estimate the prevalence and severity distribution of dementia/AD (including mild, moderate, and severe stages) and all-cause mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in the United States using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS).

Design

Retrospective study.

Setting

Data from the bi-annual HRS surveys involving in-depth interviews of a representative sample of Americans aged >50 years.

Participants

Dementia/AD and all-cause MCI patients from the 4 most recent HRS surveys (2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020).

Measurements

AD was identified based on diagnosis (self-report). Cognitive performance (modified Telephone Interview of Cognitive Status [TICS-m]) scores in the dementia/AD range were also captured; all-cause MCI was similarly identified using the TICS-m. Dementia/AD and MCI prevalence, as well as the distribution by dementia/AD stage (mild, moderate, or severe), were estimated. Sampling weights developed by HRS were applied to ensure the sample’s representativeness of the target population and unbiased estimates for population parameters.

Results

Across the four HRS surveys, the total number of HRS respondents ranged from 15,000 to 21,000 (unweighted); 7,000 to 14,000 had TICS-m scores. The estimated prevalence of AD (all severity categories combined) in the 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020 HRS surveys was 1.2%, 1.2%, 1.3% and 1.0%, respectively using the diagnosis-based approach; using the cognitive performance-based approach, 23–27% patients had scores in the dementia/AD ranges across the 4 surveys. The estimated prevalence of all-cause MCI was consistently 23% in each survey. In the 2020 survey, the distribution of mild, moderate, and severe disease stages was 34%, 45%, and 21%, respectively, in patients self-reporting an AD diagnosis, and 55%, 40%, and 5%, respectively in all patients meeting TICS-m threshold for dementia/AD.

Conclusion

The prevalence of AD diagnosis based on self-report was approximately 1% across the 4 most recent HRS surveys and may reflect the proportion of patients who have actively sought healthcare for AD. Among HRS survey respondents with cognitive scores available, over 20% were in the dementia/AD range. The distribution of disease by stage differed for self-reported AD diagnosis vs dementia/AD based on cognitive scores. Discordance in estimates of dementia/AD and stage distributions underscores a need for better understanding of clinical practice patterns in AD diagnosis, use of clinical assessment tools, and severity classification in the United States. Accurate patient identification is needed, especially early in the AD disease continuum, to allow for timely and appropriate initiation of new anti-amyloid treatments.