Leading charity urges action as analysis shows dementia has been UK women’s leading cause of death for a decade

Alzheimer’s Research UK is calling for action to tackle dementia’s disproportionate impact on women, as a new analysis shows the condition has been the leading cause of death for UK women since 2011. As the charity launches its report at the start of Dementia Action Week (Monday 16 May), it is urging the Government to deliver on its Dementia Moonshot promise to double research funding, and convene a Dementia Medicines Taskforce to speed up progress in finding new treatments for this devastating condition.

In 2020, 46,000 women died from dementia, almost twice as many as men (24,000) – and more than died of COVID-19 (41,000). While deaths from COVID-19 are now falling in the UK thanks to new treatments and the national rollout of vaccines, dementia continues to be the leading cause of death for women – with no new treatments for the condition in a generation.

The charity’s analysis, The Impact of Dementia on Women, calls for action as part of the government’s new Women’s Health Strategy and its Dementia Strategy. Both strategies are due to be published in the coming weeks, and the UK’s leading dementia research charity argues that both can play a key role in addressing the challenges highlighted by the analysis. It’s now urging the government to ensure joined up action as the strategies are implemented, to avoid the impact of dementia on women continuing unchecked.

Alzheimer’s Research UK is making a series of recommendations for government and the life sciences sector as a result of this analysis. It argues that:

Carli Pirie’s family has felt the impact of dementia more than most as they are affected by a rare genetic form of dementia. Her mother and grandmother both developed young-onset Alzheimer’s in their late 40s and Carli has a 50/50 chance of carrying the gene that would mean her future is the same.

She said:

“Having seen how dementia affected my mum from a young age and knowing my grandma went through the same, I want to do all I can to change the status quo for women in the future. “I have been taking part in dementia research for over nine years to help scientists find the answers they need to make breakthroughs happen, and protect future generations from going through what my family has been and continues to go through.”

Dr Amber John, a dementia researcher at UCL (University College London), was recently awarded a Research Fellowship from Alzheimer’s Research UK to study the links between psychological wellbeing and dementia risk.

She said:

“I chose to focus on dementia research because I have seen the devastating impact that dementia can have on some people living with dementia and their loved ones. As an early career researcher, I’m currently laying the foundations for what I hope will be a long-term profession. It’s my ambition that over the course of that career, I’ll be able to make discoveries that will help to transform the lives of people with dementia. But as a woman it’s worrying to know that female dementia researchers are less likely to progress into senior roles, and this is something that must change. We must take action to break the bias and enable female researchers to participate on an equal basis with our male counterparts.” Researchers submitting grant proposals to Alzheimer’s Research UK are asked to show that they have considered equity, inclusion and diversity when determining study populations, and must specify the sex of animals being studied. And the charity is planning to trial blind reviews of applications, in an effort to limit bias and improve the diversity of researchers it awards grants to. These steps are part of the charity’s commitment to continually listen, review and improve its approach.

Hilary Evans, Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:

“It’s shocking to see that despite dementia becoming the leading cause of death for UK women more than a decade ago, this situation remains unchanged today. Dementia is devastating for every person it affects, but this report shows that its impact is hitting women particularly hard. The experiences of women like Carli and Amber underline the urgent need to find new ways to treat and prevent dementia, and the need to ensure women can make a full contribution to research alongside men. “Although many of these challenges are seen across other health conditions, they are particularly stark for dementia. Alzheimer’s Research UK is committed to addressing these issues in the research we fund, and we hope this report will kick-start a conversation about how we can take more action across the sector. Research funders and drug regulators have a vital role to play, and government has an important opportunity to help break the bias as it rolls out its new Women’s Health Strategy and Dementia Strategy. And ultimately, doubling government investment in research is vital if we’re to put an end to the fear, harm and heartbreak of dementia.”