West Virginians report cognitive decline after 45

CHARLESTON - New data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found 10.0 percent of those aged 45 and older in West Virginia report they are experiencing confusion or memory loss that is happening more often or is getting worse (i.e., subjective cognitive decline) and 54.8 percent said that it interfered with their daily life.

Despite the known benefits of early detection, 52.4 percent of individuals with increased memory problems reported they had not discussed their symptoms with a health care provider.

The findings come from the Cognitive Module of the 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a public health survey conducted annually by states in coordination with the CDC.

The aggregated results show 11.6 percent of Americans aged 45 and older have subjective cognitive decline and African Americans are 21 percent more likely than whites to have subjective cognitive decline.

In the 2015 BRFSS, 80 percent of respondents with subjective cognitive decline reported at least one other chronic condition (arthritis, asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, COPD, and/or diabetes).

"It is important to discuss memory changes with your physician," said Lisa Campbell, Program & Advocacy Coordinator, Alzheimer's Association West Virginia Chapter. of Alzheimer's research.