Objective:

This study aimed to assess mortality trends associated with Hypertension-associated Vascular Dementia (VD) across various demographics in the United States.

Background:

There has been a rise in mortality rates due to hypertension-associated VD in the elderly population of the U.S. over the last decade, necessitating further research.

Design/Methods:

Death certificates from the CDC Wonder database (2005-2020) were analyzed for multiple causes of death, including vascular dementia (MCD-ICD 10 Codes: F01.0, F01.1, F01.2, F01.3, F01.8, F01.9) and hypertension (I10-I15). Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 100,000 persons and annual percent change (APC) were calculated and categorized by gender, race/ethnicity, census region, and urbanization.

Results:

Between 2005 and 2020, there were 105246 deaths related to Hypertension-associated Vascular Dementia among individuals aged 65 and above. The age-adjusted mortality rate (AAMR) rose from 7.873 in 2005 to 14.088 in 2015 (APC: 4.3261, 95% CI: 1.1598 to 6.0203), and then steeply rose to 26.246 in 2020 (APC: 11.8793, 95% CI: 8.6939-18.4215). Females consistently had higher AAMRs than males, from 8.161 vs. 7.182 in 2005 to 26.944 vs. 24.653 in 2020. Black or African American individuals had the highest overall AAMR (33.561), followed by White (25.921), Hispanic or Latino (21.744), and Asian or Pacific Islander (18.983). Metropolitan areas had a slightly higher AAMR (26.36) than non-metropolitan areas (25.718). Regionally, the Western U.S. had the highest AAMR (31.157), followed by the Midwest (28.643), South (26.436), and Northeast (17.616) areas.

Conclusions:

Hypertension-associated vascular dementia mortality rates rose persistently from 2005 to 2020. Black or African American ethnicity, female gender, and the Western region were associated with greater mortality rates and could be potential risk factors. Targeted research is necessary to optimize preventive strategies.