Most research on the diagnosis of dementia focuses on people who are never diagnosed. But in a new study, Yale researchers look at the other side: people who have been diagnosed but do not know it, or do not acknowledge it.
In an analysis of U.S. survey data of older Americans with probable dementia, the researchers found that about two-thirds (67%) of respondents who'd answered questions for themselves reported that no doctor had ever told them they had dementia, even though Medicare claims indicated such a diagnosis. That is far higher than for other conditions among the very same people, such as high blood pressure (23%) or arthritis (17%).
Such levels of underreporting suggest that many of these patients are also likely not pursuing critical medical services related to their diagnosis, the researchers say.
