Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are now the leading cause of death in America. Of the 529,655 deaths registered in 2015, 11.6% were attributed to dementia or Alzheimer’s, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Among those aged 80 or over, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease account for 13.7% of deaths among men, and 21.2% of deaths among women. An ageing population and better diagnosis is thought to have lead dementia and Alzheimer’s knocking Ischaemic Heart Disease (when blood vessels become narrower or blocked due to cholesterol deposits) from the top disease.
Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease overtake heart disease as the leading cause of death in America