This Wall Street Journal article discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in deaths from Alzheimer’s ad Dementia.

• ~100,000 people have died from Alzheimer’s and Dementia (ADRD) from February through May of 2020, an 18% increase compared to previous years.
• These additional deaths are likely due undiagnosed/uncounted COVID-19 cases (lack of testing available at the beginning of the pandemic) and a disruption of care due to the pandemic.
• Recent CDC data shows additional deaths caused by: hypertension (8,000 excess deaths), diabetes (5,000), stroke (3,700), and coronary artery disease (2,900) – suggesting that a lapse of care and frail health lead to deaths that would otherwise not occur outside this pandemic.

J Kamp and P Overberg.  Coronavirus Pandemic Led to Surge in Alzheimer’s Deaths. Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-pandemic-led-to-surge-in-alzheimers-deaths-11593345601. Published June 28, 2020. Accessed July 2, 2020.

This article summary was reviewed by Dr. Kathleen Unroe, IU School of Medicine Associate Professor, geriatrician, and IU Center for Aging Research Scientist.