Alzheimer's Hits 5.1 Million Americans
Cases Predicted to More Than Triple -- to 16 Million -- by 2050
March 20, 2007 – Alzheimer's disease is rising rapidly in America, now affecting at least 5.1 million and expected to hit 7.7 million by 2030; perhaps tripling to 16 million by 2050.
Those figures, released today by the Alzheimer's Association, don't tell the whole story.
For one thing, they don't include the 10 million Americans currently caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease or similar dementias. Over 40% of these caregivers are stressed to the breaking point -- financially, emotionally, and physically.
The new numbers also conceal a frightening statistic: An estimated 500,000 Americans under age 65 -- some as young as 30 -- suffer early-onset Alzheimer's disease.
Soaring upward even faster than the Alzheimer's case rate is the death rate. Deaths from Alzheimer's rose nearly 33% from 2000 to 2004. And that's an underestimate.
The cause of death for Alzheimer's patients is often wrongly attributed to other diseases such patients may have, says Stephen McConnell, PhD, vice president for public policy and advocacy at the Alzheimer's Association.
"This is not just a memory disease. It is a disease that kills you," McConnell tells WebMD. "What should really scare us is that you see a decline in cancer and heart-disease deaths but a rapid increase in Alzheimer's disease. And the two are not unrelated. As we live longer, we are more susceptible to Alzheimer's."
In 2011, baby boomers will begin turning 65 -- the age at which one in eight people has Alzheimer's. That risk rises rapidly with age. Nearly one in five people who reach 84 will get Alzheimer's disease. Those who live to be 85 or older have a 44% chance of Alzheimer's.
The new numbers come from the Alzheimer's Association's "Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures 2007." Included in this statistical abstract is a special report on the hidden cost of Alzheimer's disease: the toll it takes on caregivers and families.
McConnell says the new data now make it possible to calculate the cost of caring for Alzheimer's patients. It is a staggering figure.
"There are 10 million Alzheimer's caregivers," McConnell says. "Some have the job 24 hours a day, as at some point all Alzheimer's patients need 24-hour care."
Alzheimer's Hits 5.1 Million Americans
Cases Predicted to More Than Triple -- to 16 Million -- by 2050
March 20, 2007 – Alzheimer's disease is rising rapidly in America, now affecting at least 5.1 million and expected to hit 7.7 million by 2030; perhaps tripling to 16 million by 2050.
Those figures, released today by the Alzheimer's Association, don't tell the whole story.
For one thing, they don't include the 10 million Americans currently caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease or similar dementias. Over 40% of these caregivers are stressed to the breaking point -- financially, emotionally, and physically.
The new numbers also conceal a frightening statistic: An estimated 500,000 Americans under age 65 -- some as young as 30 -- suffer early-onset Alzheimer's disease.
Soaring upward even faster than the Alzheimer's case rate is the death rate. Deaths from Alzheimer's rose nearly 33% from 2000 to 2004. And that's an underestimate.
The cause of death for Alzheimer's patients is often wrongly attributed to other diseases such patients may have, says Stephen McConnell, PhD, vice president for public policy and advocacy at the Alzheimer's Association.
"This is not just a memory disease. It is a disease that kills you," McConnell tells WebMD. "What should really scare us is that you see a decline in cancer and heart-disease deaths but a rapid increase in Alzheimer's disease. And the two are not unrelated. As we live longer, we are more susceptible to Alzheimer's."
In 2011, baby boomers will begin turning 65 -- the age at which one in eight people has Alzheimer's. That risk rises rapidly with age. Nearly one in five people who reach 84 will get Alzheimer's disease. Those who live to be 85 or older have a 44% chance of Alzheimer's.
The new numbers come from the Alzheimer's Association's "Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures 2007." Included in this statistical abstract is a special report on the hidden cost of Alzheimer's disease: the toll it takes on caregivers and families.
Alzheimer's Caregivers Stressed Physically, Financially
McConnell says the new data now make it possible to calculate the cost of caring for Alzheimer's patients. It is a staggering figure.
"There are 10 million Alzheimer's caregivers," McConnell says. "Some have the job 24 hours a day, as at some point all Alzheimer's patients need 24-hour care."