DementiaViz


How does dementia become the epidemic of the 21st century?

Authors
  • Natthawut Adulyanukosol
  • William Bullock

Dr Margaret Chan


Former Director-General of World Health Organization

"The world’s population is ageing. Improvements in health care in the past century have contributed to people living longer and healthier lives. However, this has also resulted in an increase in the number of people with non-communicable diseases, including dementia."

Dr Robert Butler


Gerontologist, psychiatrist, and Pulitzer Prize winner

"Unless we find ways to prevent or cure Alzheimer’s and other severe dementing diseases, the world will shortly be confronted with … the epidemic of the 21st century."

World population estimates


2015

The elderly represented a small proportion.

2030

The number of people with age 65+ will nearly double in 15 years.

Ageing population


2015

We had 8.3% of the population as elderly people.

2030

This number will rise to 13.5% in the short future.

Some countries will experience more significant increases than others.

Causes of deaths are shifting


2000

Alzheimer's and other dementias were not among the top 20 causes of death globally.

The death rate had been largely stable throughout the 80's and 90's.

2005

In recent years however, the prevalence of dementias have steadily risen.

2010

As medical advancements continue to provide innovative new treatments for diseases encountered earlier in life, the global population ages.

Thus the proportion of the population at risk of dementias continues to grow also.

2015

The death rate of Alzheimer's and other dementias has doubled in the last 15 years.

It is now the 7th most common cause of death globally, overtaking once feared global epidemics like HIV and Tuberculosis.

We are doing better in treating some diseases but not dementias


2000 - 2005

While the death rate for cardiovascular diseases and cancer is still much higher, the rates of death from these diseases remain mostly stable, despite an ageing population.

2000 - 2005

This is not the case for Alzheimer's and other dementias.

2010

While there are established medical methods for the prevention, diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and cancers, there are none for dementias.

2015

The death rate for dementias has doubled in the last 15 years. This is expected to continue.

As our generation ages, it is expected to become the one of the greatest causes of disability and loss of life.

Last but not least


This is the number of new dementia patients worldwide

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Data Sources