Dementia as a Cause of Death

Minding Memory

Causes of death were reclassified by the CDC to include contributing factors such as dementia. These changes resulted in dementia jumping up from the 8th cause of death in 2000 to the 6th cause of death in 2018 (and the 5th cause of death among older adults). In this episode we’ll talk with Dr. Bryan James from Rush University about dementia as a cause of death (versus contributing factor).

DISCLAIMER: In this episode we are going to be talking about research on dementia and mortality. Because research transcribes human experiences into cold numbers it tends to objectify real human conditions such as death. This can come off as insensitive if it hits close to home. Therefore, if you or someone you care for is a person living with Alzheimer’s disease you may not want to listen to this episode.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Additional Information:

Bryan James, PhD Faculty Profiles: https://www.rushu.rush.edu/faculty/bryan-d-james-phd

Epidemiology Counts Podcast (Co-Hosted by Bryan James): https://serepidemiologycounts.blubrry.net/

Article referenced in episode:

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):1045-1050. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000000240 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24598707/

• Rush Aging & Memory Project: https://www.rushu.rush.edu/research/departmental-research/memory-and-aging-project
• Rush Religious Orders Study: https://www.rushu.rush.edu/research/departmental-research/religious-orders-study

• CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/

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