Deaths from Dementia

"Alzheimer's and other dementia diseases account for many more deaths than we've realized, a new study concludes, making it nearly as lethal as the nation's two biggest killers, heart disease and cancer."
USA Today, March 6, 2014

This is not surprising information, as undoubtedly many deaths which are really caused by dementia, are attributed to pneumonia, falls, and other dementia-related causes.  Dementia is always lethal, and because people think of it as a memory disease, they do not always connect the disease with the death.  So, instead of the estimated 85,000 annual deaths by dementia, it is more likely closer to 500,000.  This means also that the disease is much more costly than previously recognized.  Research from the Center for Brain Health in Cleveland found that dementia is probably costlier than either heart disease or cancer.