The disease now kills more than three times as many women as breast cancer and thousands more than either heart attacks or stroke. Analysts say the rising numbers may be because doctors are becoming more aware of the disease and recording it on death certificates more frequently. Coronary heart disease remains the leading cause of death in men.
For males, dementia is the third most common cause of death. The gradual wasting away of the brain in dementia cuts lives short. The condition can be recorded as the sole cause of death, but is frequently found as an underlying condition. Many people with dementia ultimately die from pneumonia. The data, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed more than half a million people died in England and Wales in 2013.