Dementia is now leading cause of death for women in Scotland, figures show

Dementia has overtaken heart disease as the leading cause of death of women in Scotland.

Latest population figures from the National Records of Scotland show dementia and Alzheimer’s claimed the lives of 4,384 women in 2017, compared to 2,693 deaths from heart disease.

Heart disease remains the biggest killer for men and overall.

"Over time, the leading causes of death have changed,” the report said.

"In 2000, the leading cause was also ischaemic heart disease but it accounted for a much higher proportion of deaths (21.5 per cent).

"Cerebrovascular disease was the second most common cause, accounting for 11.8 per cent of deaths, and dementia and Alzheimer's disease did not appear in the top five."

The shift for women reflects the fact that women tend to live longer, with 29,337 women in Scotland over 90, compared to only 12,388 men. The numbers are expected to double by 2041.

Age Scotland’s Chief executive Brian Sloan said the numbers of people with dementia is set to continue to rise.

"Dementia is currently incurable and while positive 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," he said.

Life expectancy has increased over the past 30 years, but has stalled in recent years and is much poorer in areas of deprivation.

Similarly, the disease burden is felt more acutely in these areas.

In a paper accompanying the statistics, NHS Health Scotland reseachers said: “Health burden is increasingly being defined by what makes us sick rather than what is killing us, and the complexity of experiencing multiple health problems exacerbates the burden.

“This has implications for planning services and the care workforce, and places emphasis on policy making aimed at preventing (as well as mitigating) poor health.”