Facts on Alzheimer’s Disease…Part I

Research in to Alzheimer’s dementia is ongoing. Every year, The Alzheimer’s Association publishes an annual report detailing the complications and costs of the disease to caregivers and the health care system. Here are some of the latest facts on Alzheimer’s.

1. Almost half of adults aged 85 and over have Alzheimer’s.
An estimated 45% of American seniors 85 and older suffer from Alzheimer’s, and 1 in 10 people aged 65 and over (10%) has Alzheimer’s disease. It is the most common cause of dementia among older adults.

2. More than half of the 5.4 million Americans with the disease may not know it.
In part because of the difficulty with detecting early-stage Alzheimer’s or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), many of those with the disease remain undiagnosed. With research and time, the ability to detect early-stage Alzheimer’s continues to improve. This, in turn, will result in an increase the overall number of people known to have the disease.

3. Alzheimer’s is more common in women.
The Alzheimer’s Association reports that nearly two-thirds of Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s are women. However, it is important to note that this does not mean there is a gender-based predisposition for the disease; the primary reason for this statistic is that women generally live longer than men.

4. Symptoms of the disease can develop in people as young as age 30.
We may think of Alzheimer’s as a disease of the elderly, but it can show-up early. Up to 5% of Americans with Alzheimer’s (around 200,000) have the early-onset variety, which can start to show symptoms as early as one’s 30s. Though the cause still isn’t well understood, some of these cases have a genetic component.

5. The incidence of Alzheimer’s will increase to every 33 seconds by 2050.
The rate at which Alzheimer’s occurs — every 65 seconds in the U.S. — is projected to double by 2050 because of the growing population of people over age 65. The number of older adults living into their 80s and 90s is also expected to grow, and the likelihood of Alzheimer’s increases with more advanced age.

JD Miller

About JD Miller

John D. Miller is the founder/owner of Home Care Partners, LLC, a Massachusetts business providing private duty, personalized in-home assistance and companion care services to those needing help in daily activities and household functions. Phone: (781) 378-2164 Email: [email protected] Website: https://homecarepartnersma.com
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