Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease have killed more women in Scotland than heart disease, according to official figures.
A total of 4,384 women died in 2017, compared to 2,693 from heart disease, the National Records of Scotland said, reported The Herald.
However, heart disease remains the biggest killer in men.
Interestingly, dementia and Alzheimer’s did not feature in the five most common causes of death in 2000. It was only in 2013 that these two diseases began to be featured in the list of leading cause of death among women.
The need of the hour is to ensure people with dementia get care and treatment throughout the course of the illness, Lindsay Kinnaird, Research Manager from Alzheimer Scotland, was quoted as saying by The Herald.
“Dementia is Scotland’s most pressing public health issue,” she said.
“This increase in the number of deaths attributed to dementia highlights the important role of diagnosis to ensure that people with dementia receive coordinated care, support and treatment throughout the course of the illness.
“Dementia is a complex condition that requires specialist support for those providing day-to-day care, particularly as the illness advances and at end-of-life. This is once again a stark reminder that dementia is a public health priority.”
According to Brian Sloan, chief executive of Age Scotland, the number of people living with dementia over the next 20 years will increase by 50 per cent to over 120,000.
“The older a person gets, the more likely they are to develop dementia and as women on average have a longer life expectancy, they are more likely to be impacted by it,” said Sloan.
“Dementia is currently incurable, and while developments in treatment are happening more frequently, the critical challenge for the Scottish Government is how to better prevent dementia and to improve the quality of life of those living with it and their carers.”
