Report: Prevalence of subjective cognitive decline 9.6 percent in ages 45 and up

The age-adjusted prevalence of subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is 9.6 percent among adults aged 45 years and older, according to research published in the March 10 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Karen G. Wooten, from the DB Consulting Group in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues assessed racial and ethnic, select demographic, and geographical differences in SCD prevalence and prevalence of health care professional conversations among those reporting SCD using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

The researchers found that during 2015 to 2020, the age-adjusted prevalence of SCD was 9.6 percent among adults aged 45 years and older (5.0, 9.3, 10.1, 11.4, and 16.7 percent of Asian or Pacific Islander adults, non-Hispanic White adults, Black adults, Hispanic adults, and non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native adults, respectively). Among all racial and ethnic groups, college education was associated with a lower prevalence of SCD. Of those with SCD, only 47.3 percent reported that they had discussed confusion or memory loss with a health care professional.

Women were more likely to talk with their health care provider than men (50.7 versus 43.3 percent). Overall and within racial and ethnic groups, the investigators found that adults with SCD symptoms were less likely to talk with a health professional if they were aged 75 years or older, had less education, did not have health insurance, did not have a personal doctor, and had not visited a doctor in the past year.

"The findings of this study can help health care providers identify groups of patients who would benefit from risk reduction behaviors and further cognitive assessment," the authors write.