Sedigheh Zabihi and Claudia Cooper
Most people who die with dementia have co-existing physical and mental comorbidities, which are associated with more rapid cognitive and functional decline, and lower quality of life. They place a significant burden on the nation’s health, healthcare use, and social care services. Knowing the comorbidities people living with dementia experience in their final years, and who is most at risk within the population can help policymakers plan and prioritise services.
To this aim, we analysed death certificates for people who died from dementia in England between 2013-23. 987 719 deaths were recorded with dementia as a cause of death, half of which were recorded as unspecified dementia. Cardiometabolic diseases including heart diseases and diabetes, and cancers were among common comorbidities people experienced at the time of death. We also found evidence for the association between number of comorbidities and level of deprivation (p<0.001). Our findings reflect that dementia rarely travels alone. Policies to reduce inequities in dementia care need to account for the more complex health needs of people with dementia living in more deprived area towards the end of life.
Sedigheh Zabihi, s.zabihi@qmul.ac.uk and Claudia Cooper, claudia.cooper@qmul.ac.uk
