Trends in Mortality Rates Among Medicare Enrollees With Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias Before and During the Early Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Lauren Gilstrap, Weiping Zhou, Marcella Alsan, Anoop Nanda, and Jonathan S. Skinner

JAMA Neurology, 2022 79(4): 342-348.

Question: Is the COVID-19 pandemic associated with changes in mortality among older adults with Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD)?

Findings: In this cross-sectional study of 53, 640, 888 Medicare enrollees 65 years of age or older, compared with 2019, mortality was 12% higher among beneficiaries without ADRD and 26% higher among beneficiaries with ADRD in 2020. Among nursing home residents without ADRD, mortality was 24% higher, and among nursing home residents with ADRD, mortality was 33% higher.

Meaning: These findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with increased mortality among older Medicare enrollees with ADRD, especially among beneficiaries living in nursing homes.