Summary

Dementia is a growing challenge for population health, quality of life, and care systems within Camden, with rising prevalence particularly as the local population ages. This profile highlights the emerging trends in dementia in Camden, and, where appropriate, compares patterns seen across London and England. Addressing dementia in Camden—including through enhanced prevention, early diagnosis and comprehensive care—should be a priority in tackling local health inequalities and improving wellbeing for residents and carers.

Key Points

phi_chunk_key_points

Background

What is Dementia?

Dementia is an overall term for a particular group of symptoms that occur as a result of changes in the brain, which can be caused by a wide range of different underlying conditions. Common dementia symptoms include:

  • trouble with memory,

  • difficulty with concentration, planning and problem-solving

  • difficulty with language and struggling to understand and express thoughts.

  • changes with mood, behaviour and personality

  • confusion and changes to perception

  • reduction in the ability to carry out Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)

The symptoms that occur in an individual vary from person to person and by the cause of dementia. Dementia is generally progressive, meaning that the symptoms tend to gradually worsen over time, though this varies from person to person.[@2025]

Thus, dementia is not a single diagnosable medical condition, but rather an umbrella term for a range of related symptoms resulting from ongoing decline in brain functioning. The main causes and relative prevalences in over 65s, include[@sianbesley2023]

  • Alzheimer’s disease (62%),

  • Vascular Dementia (17%),

  • Dementia with Lewy Bodies (4%),

  • Frontotemporal dementia (2%)

  • Mixed Dementia (15%)

Dementia is usually diagnosed in stages, with GP assessment being the initial step- an assessment of history and function, normally using relevant cognitive assessment tools and ruling out any temporary or transient causes of confusion(delirium). Thereafter, if clinical suspicion of dementia persists, referrals are typically made to secondary care memory clinics, where definitive diagnoses are made, using both clinical assessment and imaging like MRI. Relevant treatment plans are then implemented, using medications where appropriate, depending on the subtype of dementia. Often, early diagnosis and timely intervention allow for the implementation of early management strategies which slow the progression of the condition, with the goal being to maximize quality of life for the patient.

It is important to note also that there is a significant rate of underdiagnosis from national estimates; only about two-thirds of people with dementia have been formally diagnosed.[@dementiastatisticshub]

Why it matters

As mentioned, dementia is an umbrella term for a range of conditions affecting the brain, most commonly Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, and Lewy body dementia. It is a leading cause of disability and dependence for older adults across England, impacting nearly one million people—a figure projected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040. Dementia is responsible for an estimated £42 billion in health and social care costs every year, a burden expected to more than double in the coming decades, with most costs falling on families and unpaid carers.[@alzheimerssociety]

Dementia remains a major public health issue in London, reflecting national trends in both rising prevalence and persistent inequalities. Certain communities carry a disproportionate burden: people in socioeconomically deprived areas, and some ethnic minority groups face higher risks and receive diagnoses at a younger age. Social isolation, low physical activity, and poor access to early diagnosis further fuel the health inequality gap.[@bothongo2022]

Targeted approaches for dementia prevention, improved recognition and culturally sensitive care for diverse populations, as well as better support for carers, are essential to tackling the impact of dementia and reducing disparities within London.

Causes and Risk Factors

The risk factors for dementia are numerous and diverse They can be broadly split into Non-Modifiable and Modifiable categories. There are 14 core recognised risk factors.[@alzheimersresearchuk]

Non-Modifiable Risk Factors

  • Increasing age: The single biggest risk factor for dementia. Dementia impact is becoming increasingly higher worldwide over time as populations continue to age.[@arvanitakis2024]

  • Genetic factors and family history: Inherited predisposition to dementia. A multitude of genetic loci have been associated with Alzheimer’s and other Dementias.[@bellenguez2022]

  • Vascular causes: Includes vascular dementia (second most common type), which is also linked to history of head injury or traumatic brain injury.[@bir2021]

  • Ethnic background and socioeconomics: Higher dementia prevalence is known in Black Ethnicity populations and lower income groups, likely linked to higher risk of comorbidities and lifestyle factors.[@shiekh2021]

Modifiable Risk Factors

  • Depression: Increased risk particularly in older adults, with general risk of dementia considered higher in those with depression or history of depression, with some literature reviews finding an increased risk as high as 1.82 times.[@fernandezfernandez2024]

  • Uncorrected or insufficiently corrected hearing loss: Increases risk by 1.28-2.39 times based on recent literature reviews.[@readman2025]

  • Uncorrected or insufficiently corrected vision loss: Increases risk by 1.47 times based on recent literature reviews.[@shang2021]

  • Lower educational attainment in early life: Linked to lower cognitive reserve. Meta analyses show that each year in education reduces dementia risk.[@maccora2020]

  • Social isolation and loneliness: Some difficulty drawing definitive conclusions due to correlation versus causation, but some clear cases including unmarried and widowed individuals being at higher risk.[@2024]

  • Physical inactivity and obesity: Significant correlation noted, with higher dementia risk in those who are less physically active, with some differences within dementia types.[@hu2024]

  • Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.[@rehm2019; @zhong2015]

  • Diabetes, hypertension (HTN), and high cholesterol.[@cao2024; @iwagami2021; @ou2020]

  • Air pollution exposure.[@peters2019]

  • Sleep disturbances including sleep apnoea.[@guay-gagnon2022]

  • Possible vitamin deficiencies: Vitamin D, B12, and folate.[@gilmartinez2022]

  • Certain medications: particularly those with anticholinergic effects.[@zheng2021]

What the data shows us

Prevalence & Diagnosis

The data below demonstrates how the prevalence of dementia is gradually rising, which could be both due to demographic changes and improved detection; however, recent evidence suggests some risk factors may be increasingly well managed, and some new cases may be delayed with healthier lifestyles.[@vidyanti2025]

phi_chunk_prevalence_and_diagnosis

Hospital Admissions

Dementia is a significant driver of hospital admissions nationwide, with an estimated 25% of acute hospital beds occupied by patients who have dementia. Data shows that they stay in hospital twice as long on average compared to other patients and often are admitted for infections treatable in the community.[@england] Hospital admissions related to dementia are often emergency cases, and people with dementia tend to experience longer stays due to related conditions and the complexities of their care needs with corresponding discharge planning complexities. People with dementia on average spend almost a fifth of their last 6 months of life in hospital, with about 20% of deaths occurring during first unplanned hospital admission after diagnosis.[@vardy2022] This highlights the importance of advance care planning.

 Dementia impacts certain population cohorts disproportionately: risk and prevalence are higher for women, for those of lower socioeconomic status, and for people living in more deprived areas or facing greater social isolation. This is reflected in Hospital Admissions data presented below.

phi_chunk_all_admissions

Short-stay Hospital Admissions

Short hospital stays can be particularly disruptive for people with dementia, often causing distress and avoidable harm, so examining short-stay admission patterns helps identify opportunities to reduce unnecessary admissions.

phi_chunk_short_stay_admissions

Mortality

In 2023, dementia was the leading cause of death for females in Camden (14.5% of deaths), and second in males (7% of deaths), as reflected also in data within the Long-Term Conditions JSNA Profile.

Overall, people with dementia die prematurely. Dementia is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people worldwide. Life expectancies on diagnosis vary based on factors including age at diagnosis, sex, type of dementia and comorbidities. Life expectancy is about 7–10 years in individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in their 60s and early 70s[@edwards2024], however various higher risk population groups have life expectancies of as low as 2-3 years at diagnosis.

phi_chunk_mortality

References

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“Addressing 14 Health and Lifestyle Factors Could Prevent Nearly Half of Global Dementia Cases.” n.d. Alzheimer’s Research UK. Accessed January 14, 2026. https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/news/nearly-half-of-global-dementia-cases-could-be-prevented-or-delayed-by-addressing-14-health-and-lifestyle-factors-says-new-report/.

Arvanitakis, Zoe. 2024. “The Need to Better Understand Aging and Risk Factors for Dementia.” Frontiers in Dementia 2 (January): 1346281. https://doi.org/10.3389/frdem.2023.1346281.

Bellenguez, Céline, Fahri Küçükali, Iris E. Jansen, Luca Kleineidam, Sonia Moreno-Grau, Najaf Amin, Adam C. Naj, et al. 2022. “New Insights into the Genetic Etiology of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias.” Nature Genetics 54 (4): 412–36. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-022-01024-z.

Bir, Shyamal C., Muhammad W. Khan, Vijayakumar Javalkar, Eduardo Gonzalez Toledo, and Roger E. Kelley. 2021. “Emerging Concepts in Vascular Dementia: A Review.” Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases 30 (8): 105864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2021.105864.

Bothongo, Phazha L. K., Mark Jitlal, Eve Parry, Sheena Waters, Isabelle F. Foote, Cameron J. Watson, Jack Cuzick, et al. 2022. “Dementia Risk in a Diverse Population: A Single-Region Nested Case-Control Study in the East End of London.” The Lancet Regional Health - Europe 15 (April): 100321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2022.100321.

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Gil Martínez, Victoria, Ana Avedillo Salas, and Sonia Santander Ballestín. 2022. “Vitamin Supplementation and Dementia: A Systematic Review.” Nutrients 14 (5): 1033. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14051033.

Guay‐Gagnon, Martin, Sopharat Vat, Marie‐France Forget, Maxime Tremblay‐Gravel, Simon Ducharme, Quoc Dinh Nguyen, and Philippe Desmarais. 2022. “Sleep Apnea and the Risk of Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis.” Journal of Sleep Research 31 (5): e13589. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13589.

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Hu, Mingyue, Kai Zhang, Kuan-Jui Su, Tian Qin, Hui Shen, and Hong-wen Deng. 2024. “Unveiling the Link Between Physical Activity Levels and Dementia Risk: Insights from the UK Biobank Study.” Psychiatry Research 336 (June): 115875. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115875.

Iwagami, Masao, Nawab Qizilbash, John Gregson, Ian Douglas, Michelle Johnson, Neil Pearce, Stephen Evans, and Stuart Pocock. 2021. “Blood Cholesterol and Risk of Dementia in More Than 1·8 Million People over Two Decades: A Retrospective Cohort Study.” The Lancet Healthy Longevity 2 (8): e498–506. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2666-7568(21)00150-1.

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Ou, Ya-Nan, Chen-Chen Tan, Xue-Ning Shen, Wei Xu, Xiao-He Hou, Qiang Dong, Lan Tan, and Jin-Tai Yu. 2020. “Blood Pressure and Risks of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 209 Prospective Studies.” Hypertension 76 (1): 217–25. https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.120.14993.

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