Deaths attributable to Alzheimer's disease in the United States.
OBJECTIVE
This study provided 2 estimates of the number of deaths attributable to Alzheimer's disease in the United States.


METHODS
One estimate was based on data from the East Boston, Mass, study. The second was based on a simulation using population-based estimates of prevalence and separate estimates of excess death by duration of disease.


RESULTS
Despite different methods and very different estimates of prevalence, these 2 methods led to very similar estimates of 173,000 and 163,000 excess deaths.


CONCLUSIONS
These estimates suggest that 7.1% of all deaths in the United States in 1995 are attributable to Alzheimer's disease, placing it on a par with cerebrovascular diseases as the third leading cause of death.
Ewbank
D C
DC
Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104, USA. ewbank@pop.upenn.edu
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*; D001900:Boston / Q000453:epidemiology; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015993:Life Tables; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology