Abstract
Introduction
Despite the growing evidence from North America and Europe suggesting a decreasing trend in the incidence of dementia globally, the number of people affected by dementia is estimated to have increased by 117% (The Lancet Public Health, e105 - e125, 2019). This can be attributed to an ageing population, increased longevity, increased duration of the disease, and improved diagnosis. The aim of our study was to identify the mortality trend in AD over the last 10 years.
Methods
Data was collected from the Office of the National Statistics (England and Wales). The number of deaths from 2013 to 2023 was extracted using the code G.30 which included all types of AD. Results The number of deaths due to AD was 9787 in 2013, and it gradually increased year by year; to 11,298, 14323, 15,795, 17,984, 19,864, 20,400, 23,657, 21,495, 23,474 and 24,522 by 2023.
Discussion
The number of deaths due to AD has more than doubled over the last decade. The increase was gradual and affected both males and females. The dip seen in 2021 was also seen in other neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s disease; this was probably due to Covid-19, when people were advised to shield and Covid-19 was given precedence as the cause on the death certificates. The increasing number of deaths due to AD is likely primarily due to people with AD living longer, leading to an increased prevalence and duration of the condition. It is important to recognize the increasing burden and we should convince decision makers to invest in resources to improve the care