Dementia will be 21st century's biggest killer for men as well as women

Dementia is predicted to become the biggest killer in the 21st century for men as well as women, according to Public Health England.

Its new report ‘Health Profile for England’ has revealed that dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is set to overtake heart disease in men as early as 2020.

Dementia is already the leading cause of death in women.

Sally Copley, director of Policy, Campaigns and Partnerships at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “We have stressed for a long time that dementia was set to be the 21st century’s biggest killer – it has already become so, and what is the stark reality for women is now also set to be the case for men. What makes this more sobering is that it is the only leading cause of death that we can’t cure, prevent or even slow down, showing the critical need to tackle the dementia crisis.”

She called it "the UK’s most urgent yet hidden crisis" and added: “As the figures show for too long dementia has not received the attention it deserves, and deaths from the disease continue to rise, year on year. Alzheimer’s Society is working hard to invest in and accelerate dementia research, so that one day figures like this might not paint such a bleak picture, but in the meantime the Government must rise to this challenge, and put dementia at the heart of the NHS’s long term plan."

In the wake of the findings, Paul Edwards, director of Clinical Services at Dementia UK, has urgently called for "a joined-up approach to care which addresses the range of challenges which come hand-in-hand with dementia".

He added: "Carers often ring up our Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline, which is staffed entirely by specialist dementia nurses, simply not knowing who or where to turn to in times of need. It’s the variance in regional care and support as well as a lack of awareness around the condition, from all sections of society, which can lead to dementia falling through the gaps.

"It’s high time we address the need for seamless integration between health and social care to address these imbalances, and not just for dementia. The ultimate test for this will be when the social care paper in the autumn as well as the NHS 10 year plan are both unveiled later in the year."

The 'Health Profile for England' report looked at future trends in health, revealing that the number of people aged 85 years has more than tripled since the 1970s and is set to include more than two million people by 2031. It also predicts that the number of people with diabetes is expected to increase by a million – from just under 4m people in 2017 to almost 5m in 2035.

In addition, it found that in the last seven years, smoking prevalence has dropped by a quarter to 15 per cent and as little as 10 per cent of the population could still be smoking by 2023.

The report also revealed that British women’s health is worse than their European counterparts, ranked 18th lowest out of 28 EU member states for premature death. UK men are doing better by comparison and are ranked 10th.

Low back and neck pain and skin disease (dermatitis, acne and psoriasis) are the two leading causes of morbidity for men and women, with hearing and sight loss also ranking highly for both sexes.