Dementia now causes greatest burden of illness, injury and premature death in older Australians

For people over 65, the risk of developing dementia doubles every five or six years, but experts say there are ways to reduce the risk. Photograph: Shestock/Getty Images/Tetra images RF

Dementia has now overtaken coronary heart disease as causing the greatest burden of illness, injury and premature death in older Australians, according to a report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

Among people aged 65 years and older, dementia was responsible for almost 230,000 years of healthy life lost – a figure that has increased 62% since 2011, the report found.