Alzheimer’s diseaseis considered a fatal condition. It is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.Out of the top 10 causes of death, it’s the only one without an effective treatment or cure.
This article discusses the causes of death in Alzheimer’s disease.
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The averagelife expectancyfor someone living with Alzheimer’s is four to eight years after diagnosis, although some people may live for as long as 20 years or more.
How Alzheimer’s Causes Death
People withlate-stageAlzheimer’s disease may be confused anddisoriented. Some may become agitated and restless, while others may experience withdrawal and apathy. Sometimes, people with later-stage dementiacry and call out.Eventually, they lose the ability to communicate, and they may not respond at all.
Problems with mobility and other body functions make people with late-stage Alzheimer’s at high risk for fatal complications.
People in the late stages of Alzheimer’s disease are unable to care for themselves, becoming bedbound and completely dependent on others for their activities of daily living. Their ability to control theirbowel and bladderalso declines.
Swallowing Problems
People with late-stage disease may also have a decreased appetite and difficulty swallowing. This can cause poor nutrition and a high risk of aspiration, when food goes down the windpipe.
A person who is unable to cough and clear food out of the windpipe before it reaches the lungs has an increased risk of developingpneumonia. Aspiration pneumonia is the most common immediate cause of death in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Mobility Related Problems
People with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease may be bedbound and unable to move around. This leaves them more vulnerable to developing complications like systemicinfections,pressure sores, and blood clots.
Mobility problems can also contribute to serious falls, which can lead to infection other life-threatening problems.
Other Complications
People with advanced Alzheimer’s disease can also experience delirium (confused thinking and lack of awareness of one’s surroundings), which may increase their risk of serious accidents or falls.People with Alzheimer’s disease can also die from other conditions that are common in older people, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
One of the challenges in tracking deaths from Alzheimer’s is that the disease is not always identified as the cause of death on a death certificate.Sometimes, the conditions that develop from Alzheimer’s are listed instead as primary on the death certificate. In other cases, Alzheimer’s may have never been officially diagnosed. One study found that deaths from Alzheimer’s in people over the age of 75 may be as high as six times the officially recorded count.
One of the challenges in tracking deaths from Alzheimer’s is that the disease is not always identified as the cause of death on a death certificate.
Sometimes, the conditions that develop from Alzheimer’s are listed instead as primary on the death certificate. In other cases, Alzheimer’s may have never been officially diagnosed. One study found that deaths from Alzheimer’s in people over the age of 75 may be as high as six times the officially recorded count.
Summary
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute on Aging.Alzheimer’s disease fact sheet.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.US death rates from Alzheimer’s disease increased 55 percent from 1999 to 2014.Alzheimer’s Association.Stages of Alzheimer’s.National Institute on Aging.What are the signs of Alzheimer’s disease?.Payne M, Morley JE.Dysphagia, dementia and frailty.J Nutr Health Aging. 2018;22(5):562-565. doi:10.1007/s12603-018-1033-5Alzheimer’s Association Report.2023 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures.Alzheimers Dement. 2023;19(4):1598-1695. doi:10.1002/alz.13016Fong TG, Inouye SK.The inter-relationship between delirium and dementia: the importance of delirium prevention.Nat Rev Neurol. 2022;18(10):579-596. doi:10.1038/s41582-022-00698-7Tolppanen AM, Taipale H, Koponen M, Tiihonen J, Hartikainen S.Causes of death in a nationwide cohort of community-dwellers with Alzheimer’s disease.BMC Geriatr.2020;20(1):441. doi:10.1186/s12877-020-01744-zJames BD, Leurgans SE, Hebert LE, Scherr PA, Yaffe K, Bennett DA.Contribution of Alzheimer disease to mortality in the United States.Neurology. 2014;82(12):1045-50. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000000240
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute on Aging.Alzheimer’s disease fact sheet.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.US death rates from Alzheimer’s disease increased 55 percent from 1999 to 2014.Alzheimer’s Association.Stages of Alzheimer’s.National Institute on Aging.What are the signs of Alzheimer’s disease?.Payne M, Morley JE.Dysphagia, dementia and frailty.J Nutr Health Aging. 2018;22(5):562-565. doi:10.1007/s12603-018-1033-5Alzheimer’s Association Report.2023 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures.Alzheimers Dement. 2023;19(4):1598-1695. doi:10.1002/alz.13016Fong TG, Inouye SK.The inter-relationship between delirium and dementia: the importance of delirium prevention.Nat Rev Neurol. 2022;18(10):579-596. doi:10.1038/s41582-022-00698-7Tolppanen AM, Taipale H, Koponen M, Tiihonen J, Hartikainen S.Causes of death in a nationwide cohort of community-dwellers with Alzheimer’s disease.BMC Geriatr.2020;20(1):441. doi:10.1186/s12877-020-01744-zJames BD, Leurgans SE, Hebert LE, Scherr PA, Yaffe K, Bennett DA.Contribution of Alzheimer disease to mortality in the United States.Neurology. 2014;82(12):1045-50. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000000240
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Institute on Aging.Alzheimer’s disease fact sheet.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.US death rates from Alzheimer’s disease increased 55 percent from 1999 to 2014.Alzheimer’s Association.Stages of Alzheimer’s.National Institute on Aging.What are the signs of Alzheimer’s disease?.Payne M, Morley JE.Dysphagia, dementia and frailty.J Nutr Health Aging. 2018;22(5):562-565. doi:10.1007/s12603-018-1033-5Alzheimer’s Association Report.2023 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures.Alzheimers Dement. 2023;19(4):1598-1695. doi:10.1002/alz.13016Fong TG, Inouye SK.The inter-relationship between delirium and dementia: the importance of delirium prevention.Nat Rev Neurol. 2022;18(10):579-596. doi:10.1038/s41582-022-00698-7Tolppanen AM, Taipale H, Koponen M, Tiihonen J, Hartikainen S.Causes of death in a nationwide cohort of community-dwellers with Alzheimer’s disease.BMC Geriatr.2020;20(1):441. doi:10.1186/s12877-020-01744-zJames BD, Leurgans SE, Hebert LE, Scherr PA, Yaffe K, Bennett DA.Contribution of Alzheimer disease to mortality in the United States.Neurology. 2014;82(12):1045-50. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000000240
National Institute on Aging.Alzheimer’s disease fact sheet.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.US death rates from Alzheimer’s disease increased 55 percent from 1999 to 2014.
Alzheimer’s Association.Stages of Alzheimer’s.
National Institute on Aging.What are the signs of Alzheimer’s disease?.
Payne M, Morley JE.Dysphagia, dementia and frailty.J Nutr Health Aging. 2018;22(5):562-565. doi:10.1007/s12603-018-1033-5
Alzheimer’s Association Report.2023 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures.Alzheimers Dement. 2023;19(4):1598-1695. doi:10.1002/alz.13016
Fong TG, Inouye SK.The inter-relationship between delirium and dementia: the importance of delirium prevention.Nat Rev Neurol. 2022;18(10):579-596. doi:10.1038/s41582-022-00698-7
Tolppanen AM, Taipale H, Koponen M, Tiihonen J, Hartikainen S.Causes of death in a nationwide cohort of community-dwellers with Alzheimer’s disease.BMC Geriatr.2020;20(1):441. doi:10.1186/s12877-020-01744-z
James BD, Leurgans SE, Hebert LE, Scherr PA, Yaffe K, Bennett DA.Contribution of Alzheimer disease to mortality in the United States.Neurology. 2014;82(12):1045-50. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000000240
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