Medical experts have shed light on the life expectancy of people diagnosed with dementia after analysing data from 235 studies. Previous estimates regarding survival rates for those affected by this brain-wasting condition have been inconsistent, and few studies had considered the likely time frame before patients are admitted to nursing homes.
Now, a team led by academics from Erasmus MC University Medical Centre in the Netherlands has discovered that typical survival after diagnosis is “strongly dependent on age”. The life expectancy of those with a dementia diagnosis varies from nine years at age 60 to 4.5 years at age 85 for women, and from 6.5 to just over two years for men.
The studies reviewed dated from 1984 to 2024 and reported on both survival and nursing home admission for people with dementia. In total, 235 studies reported on survival among more than 5.5 million people and 79 studies reported on nursing home admission among 352,990 people. The data revealed that those with Alzheimer’s disease seemingly survived 1.4 years longer than those with other types of dementia.
Age at diagnosis was a major factor, the study found
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Where someone lived also appeared to have an impact, with those in Asia expected to live 1.4 years longer post-diagnosis than those in Europe or the US, reports the Express. On average, it took 3.3 years before patients would be moved to a nursing home. The study states: “About one third of remaining life expectancy was lived in nursing homes, with more than half of people moving to a nursing home within five years after a dementia diagnosis.”
As the UK population ages, the number of people with dementia is expected to rise with it. Health secretary Wes Streeting has been criticised for not giving a hard deadline for the creation of a National Care Service aimed at tackling crippling care costs.
Looking at the current timeline, it appears that proposals for the long-term funding and major reform of social care in England may not be come to fruition until 2028. However, Mr Streeting defended the long-term nature of his plans on LBC radio, stating that consensus with other political parties is needed because “politics has torpedoed good ideas” in the past.
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