SWITZERLAND: Cases of dementia rise

. BERN, Switzerland (SwissInfo), September 2, 2008: More deaths due to dementia have been observed in Switzerland, according to the 2006 Causes of Death Statistics. The figures released by the Federal Statistics Office on Tuesday showed circulatory diseases and cancer remain the most common causes of death. Accidents and other violent deaths as well as respiratory diseases are also responsible for a large number of deaths. In 1996, 2,204 people in Switzerland died of dementia, the progressive decline in cognitive function caused by damage or disease in the brain. By 2006 the number had risen to 3,606, largely due to people living longer. The largest reduction was in the number of deaths caused by circulatory diseases. Aids, diabetes and asthma showed the greatest decline as causes of death before age 70. Every year around 60,000 people die in Switzerland. For several years changing demographics have meant the number of women dying has been rising while the number of men dying has been going down. © Copyright swissinfo.ch