Trends in Alzheimer's Disease and Cardiac Arrest Related Mortality Among Older Adults in The United States – A CDC WONDER Analysis from 1999-2024
Arham Kamil1, Aiza Ahsan1, Muhammad Izhan1, Muhammad Babar Asad1, Shradha Kakde2
1Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, 2MGM Medical College and Hospital
Objective:
This study examines long-term mortality trends and demographic disparities in Alzheimer disease and cardiac arrest related deaths in the United States from 1999 to 2024.
Background:
Cardiac arrest is a frequent terminal event in Alzheimer disease, yet mortality trends capturing this overlap remain underexplored. As Alzheimer's prevalence grows with aging populations, understanding associated mortality patterns is critical for prevention and care planning.
Design/Methods:
We analyzed death certificate data from the CDC WONDER database for adults ≥65 years using ICD-10 codes for Alzheimer's disease (G30.0, G30.1, G30.8, G30.9) and cardiac arrest (I46.0). Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 100,000 persons with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were standardized to the 2000 US population. Temporal patterns were assessed using joinpoint regression to estimate annual percent change (APC) and average annual percent change (AAPC), stratified by sex, race, census region, urbanisation, and state.
Results:
Between 1999–2024, 306,002 deaths were identified. Most occurred in nursing homes (47.72%) and descendents homes (25.62%). The AAMR declined modestly from 26.21 in 1999 to 23.99 in 2024 (AAPC –0.51%, 95% CI: –1.43 to 0.42; p=0.281). Significant declines were noted in 2005–2013 (APC –2.86, p<0.001) and 2020–2024 (APC –4.86, p<0.001). Women bore the greatest burden than men (AAMR 29.16 vs. 23.25 ). Hispanics had the highest AAMR (38.12), followed by Non-Hispanic Black (29.32), Non-Hispanic Others (26.78), and Non-Hispanic Whites (25.77). Regionally, the West had the highest AAMR (54.92), while the Midwest was lowest (12.32). Urban residents had greater mortality rates than their rural counterparts (28.14 vs. 23.51). State variation ranged from California (AAMR 93.6) to Maryland (AAMR 2.8).
Conclusions:
Alzheimer disease with cardiac arrest related mortality shows modest overall decline, but marked disparities persist by sex, race, geography, and care setting. Targeted prevention and resource allocation are needed to reduce inequities and improve end-of-life outcomes.
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