Dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease, has overtaken heart disease as the leading cause of death in England and Wales, latest figures reveal, according to BBC. 

Last year, more than 61,000 people died of dementia - 11.6% of all recorded deaths.

The Office for National Statistics says the change is largely due to an ageing population.

People are living for longer and deaths from some other causes, including heart disease, have gone down.

Also, doctors have got better at diagnosing dementia and the condition is now given more weight on death certificates.

The bulk of the dementia deaths seen were among women - 41,283, compared to 20,403 dementia deaths in men in 2015.

Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, accounted for 15.2% of all female deaths, up from 13.4% in 2014.

"Dementia is not an inevitable part of ageing, it's caused by diseases that can be fought through research, and we must bring all our efforts to bear on what is now our greatest medical challenge."
There are around 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK.