ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Aging Neurosci.
Sec. Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias
This article is part of the Research TopicWomen in Aging Neuroscience: Neurodegenerative DisordersView all articles
Global, regional, and national burden of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias from 1990 to 2021:findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021
Provisionally accepted
- Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Taiyuan, China
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Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most prevalent form of dementia among the elderly, significantly impacts their quality of life and ability to perform daily activities independently. Over the past three decades, the age-standardized mortality rate has declined and life expectancy has steadily increased worldwide. However, this long-term progress was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has notably affected global health, exacerbating the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias (ADOD). Methods: We examined the counts and age-standardized rates (ASR) for the prevalence, incidence, mortality, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) associated with ADOD, categorized by region, country, sex, and age from 1990 to 2021. Results: From 1990 to 2021, both the number and age-standardized rates (ASR) of prevalence, incidence, mortality, and DALYs associated with ADOD showed a significant increase globally. High-middle SDI regions had the highest ASPR at 766.2 per 100 000 (95% UI: 659.8, 879.6). In East Asia, the highest age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) was reported, at 149.6 (95% UI: 129.6, 171.1) per 100 000 people. China experienced the greatest burden of ADOD, with the highest ASPR of 900.8 (95% UI: 770.9, 1043.2) and the highest ASIR of 151.5 (95% UI: 131.2, 173.3) per 100 000 people. The 80-84 age group exhibited the highest rates of prevalence, incidence, and DALYs, whereas the number of deaths in the 85-89 age group surpassed those in other age categories. Throughout all age groups, females experienced a higher burden of ADOD than males. The burden of ADOD reached its lowest point in 2019 but has increased steadily since then. Conclusions: In summary, this study highlights the global epidemiological trends of ADOD from 1990 to 2021, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on it. As the population ages, ADOD has emerged as a significant public health concern worldwide. Although some regions have made progress in managing the burden of ADOD, most regions and countries still face a heavy disease burden. More effective prevention and treatment strategies are needed to alleviate the impact of ADOD. In particular, greater focus should be placed on women and the elderly.
Keywords: Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, COVID-19, Global Burden of Disease study, Incidence, Prevalence, Disability-adjusted life years
Received: 13 Aug 2025; Accepted: 10 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Duan, han, zheng, yu and luo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: min luo, luomin@sxbqeh.com.cn
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