Dementia in people aged 65 years and older: a growing problem?

This study examines trends in death rates from dementias and neurodegenerative disorders in people aged 65 and over in England and Wales between 1979 and 1996. In total, there were 171,590 deaths from dementias and neurodegenerative disorders, with the number of deaths per year increasing from 3,021 in 1979 to 10,415 in 1996. Age-standardised death rates for all diagnoses combined increased from 39 to 96 per 100,000 for men and from 45 to 101 for women between 1979 and 1996. The most dramatic increase was seen in death rates from Alzheimer's disease which increased from less than 1 per 100,000 in 1979 to 19 for men and 21 for women in 1996.