Trends and Disparities in Alzheimer Disease-Related Mortality in the United States From 1999 to 2020: A CDC WONDER Analysis.

BACKGROUND

Alzheimer disease (AD) is a leading cause of mortality in the United States; yet, population-level mortality trends and disparities remain underexplored.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate AD-related mortality trends from 1999 to 2020 and assess disparities by demographic and geographic factors.

METHODS

Data were obtained from the CDC WONDER database. Deaths were identified using ICD-10 codes for AD (F01, F03, G30, G31.1) among individuals aged 45 years and older. Crude mortality rates (CMRs) and age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 100,000 population were calculated. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to assess trends, and disparities were analyzed by sex, race/ethnicity, age, urbanization, census region, and state.

RESULTS

From 1999 to 2020, 6,697,209 deaths were attributed to AD (AAMR: 90.727). Mortality rates increased significantly (AAPC: 3.18). Females had higher AAMRs (94.31) than males (83.23). Non-Hispanic Black individuals had the highest AAMR (94.53), followed by non-Hispanic White (93.73), non-Hispanic American Indian (66.80), Hispanic (66.33), and non-Hispanic Asian individuals (46.16). Individuals aged 85 years and older had the highest CMR (3574.928). Rural areas had higher AAMRs (95.080) than urban areas (89.772). The Midwest had the highest AAMR (96.131), whereas the Northeast had the lowest (78.564). States such as South Carolina (119.789) and Tennessee (113.624) had higher AAMRs compared with New York (64.16) and Florida (68.677).

CONCLUSIONS

Significant disparities exist in AD-related mortality across demographic and geographic groups. These findings highlight the need for targeted public health interventions, improved health care access, and early diagnostic efforts.