More Utahns diagnosed with Alzheimer's than expected, study finds

More Utahns than expected are being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, a new study finds.

Why it matters: That could be good news; if Utah's hospital systems are exceptionally thorough in diagnosing dementia, it means patients here could be likelier to get the services and care they need.

How it works: Researchers from the University of Michigan counted Medicare claims showing existing and new dementia diagnoses in 2019 for each " hospital referral region " — the area where patients are sent to a given hospital for certain major surgeries.

• Researchers used population data for those areas to calculate the expected rate of dementia, based on known risk factors, such as age, sex, race, education levels, the rates of other illnesses and smoking prevalence.
• The ratio of expected cases compared to diagnoses was that area's "diagnosis intensity."

What they found: In nearly all of Utah, there were more diagnoses than expected, based on the population's risk level, researchers wrote this week in Alzheimer's & Dementia .

• The Provo area saw the biggest gap, with 15% more diagnoses than expected.
• The Salt Lake referral area saw 7% more diagnoses than expected, with 4% more in Ogden.

Reality check: Utah's rate of dementia diagnoses among Medicare beneficiaries was still lower than in most of the country, researchers found.

• That's not terribly surprising, given Utah's generally good health .

Zoom out: While the highest rates of diagnoses were in the South and Midwest, the biggest differences between expected rates and actual diagnoses were scattered around the country.

• The youngest age group — 66 to 74 — as well as Black and Hispanic patients, saw especially big differences from place to place in the likelihood of getting diagnosed.

The big picture: The number of Americans with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias is expected to jump from 6.7 million in 2023 to 13 million by 2060.

• Up to 60% of those living with dementia haven't been diagnosed, a problem that may be attributed to stigma or a belief that symptoms are part of normal aging.
• Variations in diagnoses partly hinge on the skill of clinicians making or communicating the diagnoses, the authors said.

The bottom line: Patients may be twice as likely to obtain a diagnosis based on where they live.

• That calls for more study into how different hospital systems are handling patients and detecting dementia cases, researchers concluded.

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