NewsHealth & MedicineU.S. dementia cases may rise to 1 million per year by 2060Previous estimates of dementia risk may have been too low Nearly half of people in the United States will develop dementia after age 55, a new study predicts.adamkaz/E+/Getty Images PlusBy Meghan Rosen5 seconds agoBaby Boomers may drive a bigger-than-expected boom in dementia cases.By 2060,1 million U.S. adults per year will develop dementia, scientists predict January 13 inNature Medicine. Dementia is a broad term encompassing many symptoms, including memory, reasoning and language difficulties that interfere with peoples daily lives. Researchers estimate that it currently affects more than 6 million people in the United States.This is a huge problem, says Josef Coresh, an epidemiologist atNew York Universitys Grossman School of Medicine.A rise in the projected number of dementia cases is not surprising, given the aging U.S. population but the extent of the rise stands out, he says.