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Mortality Data

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 November 2016

Tuesday, 22 November 2016

Ceisteanna (387, 388)

Mary Butler

Ceist:

387. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health the estimated mortality rate for dementia in each of the years since 2006, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35738/16]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Mary Butler

Ceist:

388. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health if his Department or the HSE has projections on the likely dementia-related mortality rate for 2021, 2030 and 2040; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35739/16]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 387 and 388 together.

The Central Statistics Office has provided the following information on deaths attributable to dementia:

Year

Male

Female

Total

2007

266

547

813

2008

257

482

739

2009

304

637

941

2010

369

682

1051

2011

276

515

791

2012

535

978

1513

2013

573

1212

1785

2014

662

1282

1944

2015*

734

1425

2159

*Note 2015 is provisional data only and is subject to revision. Source Vital Statistics CSO.

Comparable estimates for the other years mentioned by the Deputy are not available.

Projections of the number of people with dementia in Ireland in five yearly intervals up to 2046 are as follows:

Age group

2011

2016

2021

2026

2031

2036

2041

2046

30-59

2,866

2,935

2,934

2,869

2,854

2,864

2,889

2,991

60-64

1,200

1,301

1,449

1,615

1,738

1,906

2,044

1,896

65-69

2,776

3,287

3,827

4,020

4,485

4,876

5,315

5,645

70-74

4,604

5,532

7,013

7,442

8,367

9,378

10,211

11,188

75-79

7,475

8,213

11,298

12,560

14,055

15,928

17,968

19,692

80-84

10,958

12,265

16,099

17,868

22,348

25,364

29,102

33,196

85+

17,970

21,260

25,595

31,085

40,195

52,512

64,654

77,549

Total

47,849

54,793

68,216

77,460

94,042

112,828

132,182

152,157

These should be interpreted with caution. The international evidence is that the age of onset of dementia is increasing in high income countries and the illness duration is reducing. It is hypothesised that this is due to better treatment to reduce recurrence of vascular diseases, such as heart disease and stroke. At this point it is uncertain whether or to what extent this positive trend may be offset in the future due to the higher prevalence of excess weight, obesity and diabetes. However, the increasing population of older people in Ireland means that the number of cases of people who have dementia is likely to increase.

It is a priority of the 2014 National Dementia Strategy to ensure that dementia is better recorded in primary and secondary care and that data from the Single Assessment Tool (an IT-based system to access health statists and care need of older people which is at an advanced stage of development) is used in future research to inform dementia care in Ireland.

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