One in three older people in the US die with dementia

According to a new study, one in three pensioners in the US die with Alzheimer's or some other type of dementia.

The Alzheimer's Association found that deaths related to dementia increased by 68 per cent during the decade which followed the turn of the millennium.

Beth Kallmyer, vice president of constituent services at the Alzheimer's Association, said the number of people being diagnosed with the condition has left the US with a public health crisis.
"For other major diseases, the death rate is going down because the federal government funds and invests in research. We have not seen that same commitment for Alzheimer’s disease," she added.

Alzheimer's disease is currently the sixth biggest cause of death in the US. It is estimated that 5.2 million people currently suffer with the condition in the country and that number is expected to have grown by 40 per cent by 2025.

In the UK, the current number of dementia patients stands at around 800,000 and is expected to rise beyond one million in the next eight years.

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