Alzheimer’s and dementia leading cause of death in England and Wales

Experts call for urgent action to tackle 'biggest health crisis of our time'

Dementia is the biggest health crisis of our time, experts have said, as statistics show the condition was the primary cause of death in England and Wales last year.

Almost one in eight people died from dementia and Alzheimer's disease in 2018, with the proportion increasing for the fourth consecutive year - up from 12.7% in 2017 to 12.8% in 2018. There were 541,589 deaths registered in England and Wales last year, the highest total since 1999.