High Rates of Dementia in Older Individuals.

A study of Medicaid enrollees with Down syndrome has found that more than half of those ages 55 and older have filed at least three claims for dementia and nearly one-third have filed at least three claims for Alzheimer's disease. The analysis appears in JAMA Neurology.

The study authors note that nearly all adults with Down syndrome develop neurological changes by age 40, but symptoms may not appear for decades. The authors add that population studies are needed to identify when symptoms begin so that families and health-care systems can plan care.

In the study, researchers led by epidemiologist Eric Rubenstein, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, analyzed claims records by Medicaid enrollees with Down syndrome from 2008-18. Among those ages 40 to 54...