Question:
How significant is dementia and Alzheimer’s as a cause of death?
Answer:
When grouped together, Alzheimer’s and dementia make up the number one cause of death in England and Wales, and the number 2 cause of death in the US (apologies to our Canadian subscribers, but data on this grouping of cause of death is not publicly available in Canada). The UK has an older population than the US, which is likely driving the larger impact. As our populations age, it seems likely we will see a growing impact of dementia and Alzhemier’s, unless of course we make progress with prevention or treatment.
If you’re interested in learning more about the outlook for preventing dementia, we are hosting a webinar, Preventing Dementia, with Baroness Professor Susan Greenfield on Tuesday December 3rd. You can register (for free) here.
The charts below show the top 5 causes of death in England and Wales and in the US (using the WHO’s 2016 grouping of causes) from 2014-2022. The green line represents deaths due to Alzheimer’s and dementia, and contributes the largest number of deaths per 100,000 in England and Wales, and the second largest in the US.
Sources: US data from CDC Wonder, downloaded on 18 November 2024. England and Wales data from Office of National Statistics, Deaths registered in England and Wales, released 10 October 2024
Notes: Cause of death groupings as developed by World Health Organisation, 2016 Ischaemic heart disease = ICD [I20-I25], Alzheimer’s and dementia = ICD [G30]+[F01]+[F03], COVID = ICD [U07.1 - U07.2]+[U10.9], Cerebrovascular diseases = [I60-I69], Accidents = ICD [V01–X59]. Data unavailable in these groupings for Canada.
The higher number of Alzheimer’s and dementia deaths in England and Wales is likely due an older population. The charts below show the population pyramids for the UK and US. Proportionately, there were 29% more over-75-year-olds in the UK than the US in 20221
Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects: The 2024 Revision. Accessed via https://www.populationpyramid.ne on 25 November 2024.
These differences in the impact of Alzheimer’s and dementia are also evident when we look at the gender split of deaths in each country. Both countries have significantly more women over 75 than men, and for each country we see higher levels of death due to Alzheimer’s and dementia in the female population.
Key takeaways:
- ‘Alzheimer’s and dementia’ is already a significant cause of death in England and Wales and the US
- It has a higher impact on older populations
- Both the US and UK populations are expected to age further in the coming years. As this happens, we will likely see a bigger impact of dementia and Alzheimer’s…
- … unless we make some significant progress with prevention or treatment!
The key question is
- What is the future outlook for progress with prevention or treatment of dementia and Alzheimer’s?
What do you think?
Join the discussion on Linkedin, or join our webinar, Preventing Dementia with Baroness Professor Susan Greenfield on Tuesday December 3rd to find out more.
1 c9% of the UK’s population was over 75 in 2022, compared to c7% in the US.