Dementia kills nearly three times more people than previously thought: BU study
Researchers at Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) have found in a new study that Dementia may be an underlying cause of nearly three times more deaths in the U.S. than official records show The study has been published inthe journal JAMA Neurology.
The study estimates that 13.6% of deaths are attributable to dementia, 2.7 times more than the 5.0% of death certificates that indicate dementia as an underlying cause of death. Understanding what people die of is essential for priority setting and resource allocation," says study lead author Dr. Andrew Stokes, assistant professor of global health at BUSPH.
"In the case of dementia, there are numerous challenges to obtaining accurate death counts, including stigma and lack of routine testing for dementia in primary care," he says. "Our results indicate that the mortality burden of dementia may be greater than recognized, highlighting the importance of expanding dementia prevention and care."
The researchers found that the underestimation varies greatly by race, with 7.1 times more Black older adults, 4.1 times more Hispanic older adults, and 2.3 times more white older adults dying from dementia than government records indicate. Dementia related deaths were also underreported more for men than women, and more for individuals without a high school education. Previous research has shown that dementia is disproportionately common among older adults who are Black, male, and/or have less education.
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