Danish Study Finds Increasing Number of Dementia Deaths

While dementia has long been linked to heightened mortality, new research demonstrates that humans have increasingly been dying due to dementia-related causes. A Danish study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, based on longitudinal data from nationwide registries of residents aged 65 to 110 who died between 2002 to 2015, found that dementia-related deaths increased by 5.1% for women and 3.2% for men – reaching 15.2% and 9.5% respectively. “From 2002 to 2015, dementia became the leading, registered underlying cause of death in people diagnosed with dementia,” the study noted. “Simultaneously, a marked decline in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular deaths was observed in people with and without dementia.”

Professor Gunhild Waldemar, chair of the Danish Dementia Research Centre, which conducted the study, said that the research has drawn attention to the fact that dementia is a life-threatening illness. “We believe that this increase in the registration of dementia as a cause of death may reflect a positive change in diagnostic rates and in perceiving dementia not only as a disease that contributes to mortality but as a disease that is actually fatal,” Waldemar said in a press release.

Dementia Under-Reported as Cause of Death

The elderly are dying of dementia three times more often than previously thought

While the challenges dementia creates for individuals and caregivers are well understood, the illness has long been under-recognized as a cause of death. Dementia is reported on death certificates in the U.S. just 5% of the time, but a 2020 study published in JAMA Neurology found that the actual number is nearly three times that amount.

Comprehending the true cause of death can have significant repercussions for funding and prevention efforts. “Understanding what people die of is essential for priority setting and resource allocation,” said Andrew Stokes, the lead author on the JAMA Neurology study and an assistant professor of public health at Boston University School of Public Health. “Our results indicate that the mortality burden of dementia may be greater than recognized, highlighting the importance of expanding dementia prevention and care.”

While dementia is commonly understood to result in a loss of brain function – leading to disturbances as well as sometimes surprisingly uplifting developments – it can also progress to affect vital functions such as movement and swallowing, and those affected can become more susceptible to infections such as pneumonia.