More and more people in Germany have to be treated in hospital for Alzheimer's or die from it. In 2020 there were more than ever before. The Federal Statistical Office also gives a reason for this.
The number of Alzheimer's patients is increasing rapidly. As the Federal Statistical Office announced on World Alzheimer's Day on September 21, 19,356 people nationwide had to be hospitalized with this diagnosis in 2020. This means that the number of inpatient treatments has more than doubled within 20 years: in 2000 there were 8116 treatments.
In 2020, a total of 9,450 people died of Alzheimer's in Germany - according to the Federal Statistical Office, more than ever before. The number of deaths was more than double the 2000 figure of 4,535, the agency said.
"The risk of contracting the disease increases with age," according to the statisticians: around 95 percent of the patients affected in 2020 were 65 and older. The age group of the very old from 80 years of age was treated particularly frequently in hospital for Alzheimer's: more than half of all those affected belonged to this age group.
"The increase in hospital treatments and deaths with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's is at least partly due to an aging population," said the Federal Statistical Office. The number of people over 65 in Germany increased by around 33 percent between 2000 and 2020. The age group from 80 years has even grown by more than 90 percent.
