Rise in annual deaths due to Alzheimer’s and Dementia

Research shows that the largest annual rise in deaths since the 1960s could be due to the amount of deaths from dementia or Alzheimer’s and respiratory disease, including flu and pneumonia, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

There was a 5.6 percent increase in deaths in 2015, the biggest year-on-year percentage since 1967-68, when deaths rose by 6.3 percent from the previous year.

Of the 24,201 extra deaths in those aged 75 and over registered in 2015, 41 percent had an underlying cause of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease and 31 percent had an underlying cause of respiratory disease.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease deaths were well above the five year average throughout the year, particularly so between January and March 2015, and have shown a general upward trend over the last decade.