Public Health

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a leading cause of dementia-related deaths in Brazil, representing 78.3% of cases in 2019.
• Understanding the demographic distribution of AD deaths is critical for effective public health policy development in Brazil.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare Brazilian public health data on Alzheimer's disease (AD).
• To analyze the age and gender distribution in demographic statistics and AD-related deaths in Brazil for 2022.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive study utilizing secondary data from 2022.
• Demographic data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and AD death data from the Brazilian Mortality Information System (SIM).
• Data stratified by age groups (40-80+) and gender, calculating the female-to-male ratio for population and AD deaths to assess gender association.

Main Results:

• The female-to-male ratio in AD-related deaths is 1.5 for ages 40-49, compared to 1.07 in the general population.
• For individuals aged 80 and older, the female-to-male ratio in AD deaths is 2.2, significantly higher than the demographic ratio of 1.6.
• These findings indicate a higher risk of Alzheimer's-related death for women, particularly in the 80+ age group.

Conclusions:

• Results confirm a higher risk for women dying from Alzheimer's disease, especially over age 80.
• Further research is needed to determine if this is due to higher AD incidence or more severe disease progression in women.
• Improving public health data systems is essential for understanding gender-driven factors (biological, social, demographic) in Alzheimer's mortality and informing targeted interventions.