The coronavirus pandemic had caused an additional 15,000 American deaths from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Approximately 100,000 people died from age-related brain disease from February 2020 to May 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This means that the death rate from Alzheimer’s and dementia was 18 percent higher than the average in recent years, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Additionally, as several states peaked in early and mid-April, including New York, an estimated 250 additional people with dementia died every day, both directly and indirectly from the virus.
Approximately 100,000 people died from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia between February 2020 and May 2020, about 15,000 more than would normally have occurred. Pictured: Medical workers load a patient from the Andover Subacute Rehabilitation Center into an ambulance in Andover, NJ, on April 16.
The excess deaths from Alzheimer’s and dementia exceeded 1,000 in California, New Jersey, New York and Texas. In the photo: In the photo: Medical workers load a deceased body from the Andover Subacute Rehabilitation Center in an ambulance in Andover, New Jersey, April 16
An estimated 5.8 million Americans over the age of 65 live with Alzheimer’s disease in 2020, and it is expected to reach 13.8 million in 2050.
Victims experience a decrease in cognitive, behavioral, and physical skills and there is no cure.
Those with the disease have a buildup of two proteins, beta amyloid and tau, in the brain that form clumps, which suffocate and destroy neurons, leading to memory loss and confusion.
In 2018, the most recent year for which complete data is available, about 120,000 Americans died of Alzheimer’s.
The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics listed the disease as the sixth leading cause of death.
It is well known that the risk of severe cases of COVID-19 increases with age, and that older adults are at the highest risk.
The CDC says some deaths were likely due to the virus, but were not listed as a cause of death on death certificates.
But other deaths were also likely due to causes such as disruptions to daily routines and inattention.
“It’s a fall and it sets it all in motion,” Nicole Fowler, associate director of the Indiana University Research Center on Aging, told The Journal.
‘It’s a fluid-free day and they dehydrate and trigger a chain of events. It’s amazing how little it really takes to alter your environment. ‘
The Journal reports that excess deaths from Alzheimer’s and dementia exceeded 1,000 in four states: California, New Jersey, New York and Texas.
However, Alzheimer’s is not the only underlying health condition that has suffered from excess deaths.
According to the CDC, hypertension has seen 8,000 excess deaths, diabetes has seen 5,000 deaths, and strokes have seen 3,700 excess deaths.
Dr. Robert Anderson, Chief of CDC’s Mortality Statistics Branch, said this is a mix of deaths due to COVID-19 and poor Americans whose death was accelerated due to the pandemic.
“That added stress on a frail person can cause people to die,” he told The Journal.
In the United States, there are more than 2.5 confirmed cases of the virus and more than 125,000 deaths.
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