Rapid increase in Alzheimer's cases. The biggest problem in these provinces

• The NIZP PZH-PIB report on the health situation of Poles in 2025 includes a chapter dedicated to Alzheimer's disease.
• According to the report, in the years 2014-23 the Alzheimer's disease prevalence rate per 1,000 Polish residents aged 55+ was 20 for men and 37-39 for women.
• The value of the disease incidence rate in the voivodeships ranged from 25.1 to 36.3 in 2023, with the lowest being in Podlaskie and the highest in Podkarpackie.
• The highest values ​​of the disease incidence rate were observed in cities of up to 10,000 inhabitants and decreased with the increase in the size of the city.

The National Institute of Public Health PZH – National Research Institute published the report "Health situation of the Polish population and its determinants – 2025" at the beginning of June this year. Part of the report is a chapter devoted to Alzheimer's disease and related diseases.

As the authors of the publication remind us, Alzheimer's disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease with dementia. It is estimated that it accounts for 60-70 percent of dementia cases. It is characterized by progressive memory disorders and other cognitive functions. After several years, it leads to a complete loss of intellectual and physical independence.

Its treatment involves the use of symptomatic so-called procognitive drugs and various forms of supportive therapy.

The development of Alzheimer's disease is influenced by, among others:

• genetic factors,
• age of the patient,
• medical factors, i.e. cerebrovascular dysfunction,
• psychological and social factors, mainly living alone without family and social contacts.

The report uses data reported to the National Health Fund in the SWIAD communication, i.e. data on outpatient and stationary services. Therefore, data reported, among others, within the framework of spa treatment or in some preventive programs were not included.

The report also does not include information about people who did not use services related to Alzheimer's disease or used services other than those financed by the National Health Fund.

According to the report, in 2014-23 the Alzheimer's disease prevalence rate per 1,000 Polish residents aged 55+ was 20 for men (104,000 in 2023) and 37-39 for women . The highest number of sick women, nearly 271,000, was recorded in 2019.

In the same years, 2014-23, the registered disease incidence rate per 1,000 inhabitants aged 55+ was 7 for men and 11 for women .

As age increases, the percentage of people suffering from Alzheimer's disease increases . According to the data included in the report for 2023:

• in the 55-64 age group , 0.3% of women were ill, while in the 85+ group - 20% ;
• in the case of men in the 55-64 age group this percentage was 0.4 percent , and in the 85+ group - 12 percent.

The report also shows the prevalence rate of Alzheimer's disease and related diseases per 1,000 inhabitants in individual voivodeships in 2023. The value of the indicator then oscillated between 25.1 and 36.3, with the lowest being in Podlaskie and the highest in Podkarpackie.

For individual regions it was:

• Lower Silesia – 31.2,
• Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship – 29.4,
• Lublin – 32.3,
• lubuskie – 32.6,
• Lodz Province – 34.5,
• Lesser Poland – 35.4,
• Masovian Voivodeship – 31.5,
• Opole – 29.1,
• Subcarpathia – 36.3,
• Podlaskie – 25.1,
• Pomeranian Voivodeship – 27.6,
• Silesia – 29.7,
• Świętokrzyskie – 35.4,
• Warmia-Masuria – 30.3,
• Greater Poland – 31.6,
• West Pomeranian Voivodeship – 29.7.

In each province, the disease rate was higher among women than among men.

The authors of the report also pointed to a change in the incidence of Alzheimer's disease depending on the place of residence, comparing the years 2023/2018.

The highest values ​​of the coefficient were observed in the case of cities up to 10 thousand inhabitants and decreased with the increase in the size of the cities . The lowest disease rates were observed in cities with a population of 100-200 thousand inhabitants , while in larger cities the rate increased slightly. The highest number of women, compared to men, fell ill in rural areas , and the lowest in the largest cities.

The table presented in the report shows that in 2023 the registered disease rate per 1,000 people aged 55+ was:

• in the countryside – 45.4 ,
• in cities up to 10 thousand inhabitants – 56.6 ,
• in cities with 10-20 thousand inhabitants – 37.6 ,
• in cities with 20-50 thousand inhabitants – 32.4 ,
• in cities with 50-100 thousand inhabitants – 30.8 ,
• in cities of 100-200 thousand inhabitants – 30.3 ,
• in cities with more than 200,000 inhabitants – 30.3 .

As the authors of the report note, the variation in the incidence of Alzheimer's disease depending on the place of residence may result from many factors, including the fact that data on services other than those financed by the National Health Fund were not included. In larger cities, there may be more such services, which will result in an underestimation.

These differences may also result from the level of education (people with lower education have a higher risk of illness) or lifestyle-related diseases, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or obesity.

The report shows that since 2014, the number of sick people (registered morbidity) has increased in every age group, except for the youngest (55-64 years), where a clear decrease was recorded: from 34 thousand in 2014 to 16.3 thousand in 2023. An increase is visible in the remaining groups, e.g. in the 85+ group from 110 thousand in 2014 to 145 thousand in 2023.