The 6 early symptoms of UK’s biggest killer – as deaths rise year on year
DEMENTIA was the UK’s leading cause of death for the 13th year in a row in 2023, new research has revealed.
And the "crisis will only worsen" because of the ageing population, warned, unless the Government takes action.
In 2023, at least 75,393 people died of disease - 11.4 per cent of all recorded deaths.
This marks a steady rise from 74,261 in 2022 and 69,178 in 2021, according to the charities analysis.
Dementia now causes more deaths than heart disease.
The charity's chief executive Hilary Evans-Newton said: "This data reveals the tragic reality of dementia's devastating impact across the UK.
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"This crisis will only worsen as our population ages unless Government takes action to address it."
An estimated 944,000 people in the UK live with dementia.
Alzheimer's Research UK predicts the figure could rise to 1.4 million by 2040.
Ms Evans-Newton added: "Dementia already accounts for a quarter of hospital beds for people over 65, and the cost of dementia to the NHS has doubled in the last decade mainly due to often avoidable emergency admissions.
"The magnitude of damage caused by dementia on people and wider society can't be ignored by government."
According to Alzheimer's Research UK, dementia has been the leading cause of death in women since 2011, with the trend continuing in 2023.
Care minister Stephen Kinnock added: "Alzheimer's is a cruel disease which has a terrible impact on so many families, including my own.
"This data reveals the profound toll dementia has on individuals and their loved ones in the UK.
"With our Plan for Change, this government is committed to getting the NHS back on its feet and creating a society where every person with dementia receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life.
"We will put Britain at the forefront of transforming treatment for dementia, backing research into the disease and ensuring that new clinically and cost-effective treatments are rolled out in a safe and timely way."
Symptoms of dementia in the early stages of the disease can be subtle at first.
But over time they become more pronounced and begin to interfere with a person’s daily life.
You may become aware of your loved one having the disease by subtle changes to their behaviour.
Your painstakingly polite loved one may pick up a new swearing habit or start dressing sloppy after previously taking great care with their appearance.
Here are six early signs of the disease to know.
1. Giving out money
Elderly people in general are at high risk of being scammed.
However, has shown that giving out money could be a sign of early Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia.
They revealed people with the disease are more likely to enjoy slapstick over more complicated forms of comedy.
They gathered the friends and family of 48 people with the disease and asked them questions about their loved ones' sense of humour.
In the study, they were asked whether their relatives enjoyed shows like Mr Bean or more satirical shows like South Park.
Then they were asked if there was a difference between their humour 15 years ago.
The research revealed that Alzheimer's patients started to prefer slapstick jokes around nine years before the start of typical dementia symptoms.
They studied 32 people across three care homes and 15 regular homes in Kent.
Researchers interviewed 29 family carers and relatives and 28 care home staff to see how their patient’s dress.
They discovered that Alzheimer's could caused people to start dressing differently.
4. Bad parking
Dementia affects people's motor skills - meaning as their condition progresses their driving can get worse.
It slows down people’s reactions, making them bad at parking.
Researchers from Washington University in St Louis studied driving habits in 139 people - half of which were diagnosed with early Alzheimer's.
The study found those with the disease were more likely to make abrupt changes in direction and drive slower.
The results were so significant that they were able to create a model to predict if people had Alzheimer's based on their driving alone.
It predicted cases accurately in 90 per cent of the people.
5. Swearing
Swearing is another sign that someone is developing Alzheimer’s.
When people have the disease, the filter in their brain that would usually tell them the correct situations to swear in is no longer as strong.
This can lead to awkward situations such as swearing in front of children.
Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, found 18 per cent of people with Alzheimer's used the word 'f**k' when prompted to name words beginning with 'f'.
6. Having no filter
Like with swearing, as someone develops Alzheimer's their ability to filter what to say becomes hazy.
That’s because the part of the brain that controls our internal filter, the frontal prefrontal cortex, is known to shrink with age, according to experts.
This means patients can say or do outlandishly inappropriate things without realising it is wrong.
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Alzheimer’s Society explained: “These situations can be very confusing, distressing, shocking or frustrating for someone with dementia, as well as for those close to them.
“The person with dementia may not understand why their behaviour is considered inappropriate. It’s very unlikely that they are being inappropriate on purpose.”