Dementia: a global problem that is spreading

Dementia is currently one of the leading causes of mortality globally, and dementia mortality is likely to increase in the future along with a corresponding increase in population growth and population aging. On the other hand, healthy behaviors can have a crucial impact on the prevention and treatment of various forms of dementia. However, major inconsistencies in coding practices in vital registration systems over time and across countries complicate the assessment of global dementia mortality. An ongoing study within the Global Burden of Disease consortium, in which our Center associates also participated, analyzed the additional risk of death in people with dementia to calculate the total number of deaths attributable to dementia. It is estimated that there were 1.62 million deaths due to dementia in the world in 2019, and this number is expected to be higher due to the global aging of the population. You can see the complete study here.