Dementia deaths rise

THE type of advances in treatment and prevention that have led to falling deaths from heart disease are needed to fight dementia amid expectations it will become Australia’s biggest killer, a support group says.

Heart disease remains the leading cause of Australian deaths.

But dementia, which includes Alzheimer’s disease, has for the first time become the top killer for women.

It is likely dementia will also become the top cause of death for men as treatments for other causes such as heart disease improve, the Australian Bureau of Statistics says.