Dementia is leading cause of death for women in Scotland

Dementia has become the leading cause of death for women in Scotland, overtaking heart disease, new research has revealed.

The National Records of Scotland (NRS) shows dementia and Alzheimer’s disease claimed the lives of 4,384 women in 2017, compared to 2,693 deaths from heart disease.

Charities suggest the figures should be a "wake-up call" for the Scottish Government.

Lindsay Kinnaird, research manager at Alzheimer Scotland, said: “Dementia is Scotland’s most pressing public health issue, with this population data release further underlying the importance of coordinated action.

“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 the NRS annual review, nearly three times as many women than men are living into their 90s. While heart disease remains the most common cause of death for men, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia were the leading cause of death for nearly 15 per cent of women.

Brian Sloan, chief executive of Age Scotland said: “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." He added: “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.

“This is an opportunity for the new set of health ministers to evaluate how effective their current dementia strategy is and look at how it impacts on a wide range of other government responsibilities, ensuring that housing, transport and communities are dementia friendly so that Scotland can be better prepared for the future.”