Dementia ‘to replace cancer as Britain’s biggest killer by 2040’
DEMENTIA is set to become Britain’s biggest killer, with experts warning that deaths from the condition will overtake those from cancer by 2040.
The figure is set to almost quadruple as an ageing population becomes ever more vulnerable to conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Cancer currently kills more than double the people who die from dementia every year. But researchers from King’s College London forecast that within 25 years dementia will creep ahead to claim 219,409 victims every year.
Their figures show it will also kill more people than cardiovascular disease and organ failure. They are calling for the NHS to ‘act now’ to provide palliative care for elderly patients.
Professor Irene Higginson, Director of the Cicely Saunders Institute at King’s College and co-author of the paper, said: ‘Both cancer and dementia are increasing. Dementia is increasing faster, partly because of the ageing population and partly because there are fewer treatments for it.’
Rob Burley of the Alzheimer’s Society added: ‘Dementia is set to be the 21st century’s biggest killer. It is the only leading cause of death that we can’t cure, prevent or slow down.’
The ageing population is behind the rise in dementia, which kills people from the damage it causes in their brain. As we all live longer, the number of over-85s needing palliative care is set to more than double from 2014 to 2040, with dementia striking most people in old age.
For the study, published in the journal BMC Medicine, experts analysed mortality statistics for England and Wales from 2006 to 2014. They concluded that cancer deaths will rise from 143,638 to 208,636 deaths by 2040.
But deaths from dementia are projected to outstrip this, soaring from 59,199 to 219,409 over the same period. Rising deaths from the condition will contribute to a rocketing number of people who will need end-of-life care.
Currently around 75 per cent of people in their final days need palliative care, but that figure will hit 90 per cent by 2040 as the elderly battle multiple complex diseases, often including dementia and cancer at the same time.
Professor Higginson said: ‘Palliative care provides relief of pain and suffering. People can be given morphine to help with pain and breathlessness, which many suffer at the end of life, with emotional and social support for those affected, to help them live as well as possible.’
It follows a report earlier this year that some health trusts spend as little as 14p a day per patient providing specialist care for those who are dying.
Commenting on the study, Simon Jones, from the charity Marie Curie, which provides care and support for people with terminal illnesses, said: ‘We need to radically rethink how we care for people at the end of their lives, to ensure everyone gets the range of support they need, when they need it. We need to start that process now, before we reach crisis point.’