Over-65s with dementia are up to FIVE TIMES more likely to die from Covid

Older Brits with dementia can be up to five times more likely to die if they catch Covid, compared to those that don’t, official death data suggests.  

Analysis from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found men over the age of 65 with dementia had a 4.7 times greater risk of dying from the virus in 2022.

Women in the same age group were 4.4 times more likely to die from Covid if they suffered from the memory-robbing condition. 

Experts have suggested dementia sufferers may be more likely to catch Covid, as they could forget to follow advice to lower the risk of catching it. Once infected, a weak immune system increases their risk of becoming severely ill. 

While high, the figures mark a dramatic reduction in death risk from Covid among dementia sufferers compared to the opening year of the pandemic.

A study by researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine revealed that global dementia cases are set to nearly triple by 2050, from 57.4million to 152.8. But the rate of illness is expected to increase varies between different parts of the world. In Western Europe, cases are expected to rise by just 75 per cent, mainly due to an ageing population, while they are expected to double in North America. But the biggest increase is expected to be seen in North Africa and the Middle East, where cases are projected to rise by 375 per cent. Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia 

The ONS estimated that in 2020, before Covid vaccines were deployed to the majority of vulnerable Brits, people with dementia had a seven times greater risk of death from the virus.

Statisticians also performed a more detailed breakdown, factoring in age, wealth, other health conditions, if people lived in a care home and vaccination status.

This found that men with dementia had a 2.93 times greater risk of death compared to people without the condition.

For women with dementia, the increased risk was only 2.34 times higher once these factors were considered. 

The ONS also found that while Covid was a significant cause of death for people with dementia, it was not the leading cause of death for this group during the pandemic. 

Instead, this was dementia itself and the related Alzheimer disease. 

When comparing deaths from all causes, men and women with dementia were around 3 times more likely to die in 2022 compared to those without the condition.

Dementia is a medical condition related to a decline in brain function.

Common symptoms include memory loss, difficulty concentrating, confusion, movement, and sudden mood shifts.

Dementia is a progressive condition, meaning it generally gets worse over time and can be hard to spot in the initial stages.

Most cases are linked to either Alzheimer’s disease, which damages brain cells directly, and reduced or limited blood flow to the brain which is called vascular dementia and can result from an event like a stroke.

While it is more common among older people dementia the condition can strike younger people as well. 

About one in 14 people over the age of 65 have dementia, but this rises to one in 6 people over 80. 

Dementia, by itself doesn’t kill people but the condition makes them more vulnerable to dying from a variety of conditions.

This can be because they can, especially as the disease progresses, not eat or drink which weakens their body and makes immune system less able to fight off viruses and bacteria.

Problems with movement can also lead to an increased risk of falls that can be dangerous to elderly Brits or leave them vulnerable to a subsequent infection. 

Dementia is a growing healthcare problem both in the UK and around the world as the percentage of people living with some form of the condition rises as the population ages.

Global dementia cases are predicted to nearly triple by 2050, from 57.4million to 152.8million.

While 850,000 people in the UK are estimated to have dementia, this is estimated to rise to 1million by 2025.