UK leading causes of death for those aged 80 years and over The overall changes seen in the leading causes of death in the UK between 20 have been largely influenced by the older age groups analysed (65 years and over). These updates increased the number of deaths coded with an underlying cause of dementia.Ĥ.
There was a 2011 update to the coding framework and a 2014 update to the coding framework used to code cause of death. This may be a consequence of initiatives put in place in 2013 to 2014, such as the Prime Minister’s challenge on dementia and the government’s mandate to NHS England, which included an ambition that two-thirds of the estimated number of people with dementia in England should have a diagnosis.
In addition, a better understanding of dementia and improved diagnosis is likely to have caused increased reporting of dementia on death certificates. Dementia and Alzheimer disease are more likely to occur among older age groups, and more people are living longer and surviving other illnesses. There are several reasons why the number of deaths from dementia and Alzheimer disease has increased in recent years. In 2011, this became the leading cause of death, accounting for 16.5% of all female deaths in 2018.
The numbers of deaths from ischaemic heart diseases (IHD) and cerebrovascular disease have decreased over time, but IHD remains the leading cause of death in males.įor females, the number of deaths caused by the dementia and Alzheimer disease has increased since 2001. The leading causes of death for males and females since 2001 are presented in Figures 1 and 2 respectively.