The burden of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in China is higher than in most countries and increasing at a faster rate than the global average, according to a new study published May 7, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Siyu Liu and Daoying Geng of Fudan University, China.
Alzheimer's disease and other dementias (ADD) are an increasingly serious global health issue, with rates rising worldwide. There is currently a lack of understanding of the disease burden and risk factors of ADD specifically in China, despite being one of the countries with a rapidly aging population.
In the new study, the researchers analyzed more than three decades of global health data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD), a public database jointly initiated by institutions including the World Bank and the World Health Organization. They found that between 1990 and 2021, ADD cases in China tripled, while global cases doubled. Women bear a higher overall disease burden, partly due to longer lifespans, but men have slightly higher death rates from the condition. The study also projected trends for the next 15 years using statistical models, suggesting that dementia rates will continue to rise, especially in China, unless more effective interventions are put in place.
When focusing on risk factors for ADD, the study showed that high blood sugar (from conditions like diabetes) is now the leading preventable risk factor for dementia worldwide, including in China. Smoking and high body weight are also major contributors, particularly among men.
The authors conclude that the increase in ADD in China is mostly being driven by population growth and shifting age demographics, but that efforts to reduce high blood sugar and smoking – especially among older adults – could slow the increase in dementia cases.
The authors add: "ADD is one of the diseases with the heaviest global disease burden. The disease burden of ADD in China and globally has increased year by year from 1990 to 2021."
In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS One: https://plos.io/3EDwBJo
Citation: Liu S, Geng D (2025) A systematic analysis for disease burden, risk factors, and trend projection of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in China and globally. PLoS ONE 20(5): e0322574. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0322574
Author countries: China
Funding: The funding organization of the National Nature Science Foundation of China (82372048) is National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). The funding organization of the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (22TS1400900, 23S31904100, 22ZR1409500, 24SF1904200, 24SF1904201) is Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission. DG is the recipient of the funding awards listed above. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
