Some countries have much higher rates of dementia than others. As the following chart illustrates, not all countries are experiencing the same prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease. The North Atlantic countries of Finland, Iceland and Sweden have some of the highest rates of dementia in the world.
If dementia is a random or sporadic condition, there should be little or no variance in the incidence from country to country. In reality, the differences and coincidences are astounding.
The United States and other developed countries also lead the list. The undeveloped countries across Asia, Africa and South America have the lowest incidence. What causes these regional variations? Could it be an unhealthy or contaminated diet in these countries? Could it be contaminated drinking water? Or is it another source of regional environmental contamination?
Country Alzheimer’s/Dementia (deaths per 100K)
Finland 34.9
Iceland 25.1
United States 24.8
Sweden 21.5
Netherlands 21.4
Switzerland 20.0
Cuba 19.6
Chile 19.6
Andorra 19.4
Spain 18.7
Norway 18.6
Uruguay 17.5
Denmark 17.4
United Kingdom 17.1
France 16.6
Canada 16.0
Australia 15.3
New Zealand 15.2
Belgium 14.6
Pakistan 14.3
Bhutan 13.4
Malta 13.0
South Korea 12.0
Ireland 11.8
Hungary 11.5
On a localized basis, the same variations are observed. For example, in the United States, the death rate from Alzheimer’s disease is highest among residents of Washington State (a coastal state). In fact, it’s almost double the national average at 43.6/100,000.
These regional variations seem to indicate that the death rate from Alzheimer’s is not random, but one influenced by environmental and/or dietary factors. Regional spikes also could reflect the infective nature of Alzheimer’s and other forms of prion disease once they have a foothold within a population.
For more information and a current list, please visit http://alzheimerdisease.tv/alzheimers-disease-risk-by-country/
Comments
Mike Cavanagh January 3, 2017 at 11:11 pm
Yes Finland is number one in Coffee consumption followed closely by other Scandinavian countries.
Caffeine may be an agent causing changes to brain chemistry linked to the onset neurological disease. Look to caffeine intake per capita. I was looking at coffee intake and a correlation to Alzheimer’s. The United States is pretty far down the list in coffee consumption, yet high in the incidence of Alzheimers. But if you look at the consumption of caffeine from all sources in the U.S., the logic becomes more obvious that caffeine is a suspicious player. Reduction in Cerebral Blood Flow brought about by caffeine is another causal effect which may well aid the disease process.