UK: 1 in 5 people who died from COVID-19 had dementia, study claims

July 6, 2022  13:24

Dementia charity Alzheimer's Research UK says the UK government should take more action to accelerate the development and implementation of new treatments for dementia after it became known that nearly one in five people (21.8%) who died from COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021, suffered from dementia, writes Medical Xpress.

Among those who died from COVID-19 in England and Wales in 2021, dementia was one of the most common pre-existing conditions, according to new data released by the Office for National Statistics. Combined with data from 2020, this indicates that of the 137,321 patients who died from the virus during this period, about 30,043 (21.8%) had dementia.

The organization said the figures highlight the urgent need to increase funding for dementia research and call on the government to convene a Dementia Medicines TaskForce as part of an upcoming dementia strategy to end the long wait for dementia treatment.

People with dementia are more likely to live with a range of conditions that put them at greater risk of developing severe symptoms of COVID-19, and we must find new and better ways to treat and reduce the risk of developing dementia to protect people in the future. This is why it is critical that dementia research be prioritized, the organization said.

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