how does dementia cause death

Dementia causes death primarily by progressively damaging brain cells, which eventually affects essential brain functions such as breathing, heart rate, and swallowing. In the final stages, this damage can lead to failure of these vital bodily functions. Additionally, people with dementia often die from complications that arise due to the disease, with pneumonia—especially aspiration pneumonia—as the most common cause of death. Aspiration pneumonia occurs when the person has difficulty swallowing and accidentally inhales food or liquid into the lungs, causing infection. Other common complications include urinary tract infections, dehydration, falls leading to serious injuries, malnutrition, stroke, and heart disease. These complications become more likely and harder to manage as dementia advances, leading to an increased risk of fatal outcomes. Thus, dementia causes death both directly through brain failure and indirectly through associated infections and complications.