Mortality for Alzheimer's disease during the COVID-19 pandemic

Aim: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) negatively impacts the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The aim of this study was to determine whether mortality from Alzheimer's disease has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We searched the WONDER database, to obtain cumulative and sex-specific age-adjusted death rates of Alzheimer's disease between the years 2018 and 2022. Results: Cumulative age-adjusted mortality rate displayed a peak in 2020, followed by gradual decline thereafter. The data for both sexes mirror that of total population, peaking in 2020, followed by a decline thereafter. The relative increase in age-adjusted mortality for Alzheimer's disease in 2020 compared to 2019 was + 8.7% in the total population, + 6.1% in men and + 10.1% in women. Conclusions: Frail people, such as those with Alzheimer's disease, may be more vulnerable to the risk of dying during an outbreak of infectious disease, paving the way for increased preventive and protective measures in the unfortunate event of the next pandemic.