Mortality rate of Alzheimer's disease in Japan: secular trends, marital status, and geographical variations

The death rate from Alzheimer's disease (AD) in Japan was analyzed using death certificates for the years 1979 through 1990. The AD death rate has increased gradually year by year for both sexes. The overall death rates per 100,000 population of 35 years and over were 0.127 for men and 0.144 for women. Age-specific AD death rate increased exponentially up to the 65-69 age group and decreased thereafter. There were remarkable differences in the AD death rates among the four marital categories, among different prefectures and among the six occupational categories. Overall mean age at death was 63.5 years for men and 65.3 years for women.