Variability in Alzheimer’s disease mortality from European vital statistics, 2012–2020

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveData regarding the trends in Alzheimer's disease (AD) mortality in the modern European Union (EU‐27) member states are lacking. We assess the sex‐ and age‐specific trends in AD mortality in the EU‐27 member states between years 2012 and 2020.MethodsData on cause‐specific deaths and population numbers by sex for each country of the EU‐27 were retrieved through publicly available European Statistical Office (EUROSTAT) dataset from 2012 to 2020. AD‐related deaths were ascertained when the ICD‐10 code G30 was listed as the primary cause of death in the medical death certificate. To calculate annual trends, we assessed the average annual percent change (AAPC) with relative 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using Joinpoint regression.ResultsDuring the study period, 751,493 deaths (1.7%, 233,271 males and 518,222 females) occurred in the EU‐27 because of AD. Trends in the proportion of AD‐related deaths per 1000 total deaths slightly increased from 16.8% to 17.5% (p for trend <0.001). The age‐adjusted mortality rate was higher in women over the entire study period. Joinpoint regression analysis revealed a stagnation in age‐adjusted AD‐related mortality from 2012 to 2020 among EU‐27 Member States (AAMR: −0.1% [95% CI: −1.8–1.79], p = 0.94). Stratification by Country showed relevant regional disparities, especially in the Northern and Eastern EU‐27 member states.ConclusionsOver the last decade, the age‐adjusted AD‐related mortality rate has plateaued in EU‐27. Important disparities still exist between Western and Eastern European countries.