Deaths From Dementia Have More Than Doubled in U.S., Report Says

A report from the National Center for Health Statistics found the American death rate from dementia has more than doubled from 30.5 deaths per 100,000 people in 2000 to 66.7 in 2017, according to CNN . The center's Ellen Kramarow said the increasing mortality due to dementia in the United States is most likely caused by the aging populace. "If people live longer, they don't die of other causes, so they live to the point where the risk for dementia is higher," she argued. The researchers analyzed data from death certificates from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, focusing on four types of dementia: Alzheimer's, vascular dementia, unspecified dementia, and other degenerative disorders of the nervous system. Alzheimer's comprised 46 percent of the 261,914 dementia-caused American deaths in 2017. Moreover, 60.4 percent of deaths from dementia in 2017 occurred in long-term care communities, nursing homes, or end-of-life hospices.