Latest Alzheimer's Statistics -- U.S. (2010)

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An estimated 5.3 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer's disease (2010). This figure includes 5.1 million people aged 65 and older and 200,000 individuals under age 65 who have younger-onset Alzheimer's. In Texas alone, there are currently, 340,000 people living with Alzheimer's disease. By 2025, that number is expected to rise to 470,000. The Alzheimer's Association estimates that there are 500,000 Americans younger than 65 with Alzheimer's and other dementias. Of these, approximately 40 percent are estimated to have Alzheimer's.
One out of eight people age 65 and older (13 percent) has Alzheimer's disease. Women, who on average live longer than men, are more likely than men to have Alzheimer's disease.

The greatest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease is advancing age, but Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging. A small percentage of Alzheimer's disease cases, probably less than 1 percent, are caused by rare genetic variations found in a small number of families worldwide. These variations involve chromosome 21 on the gene for the amyloid precursor protein, chromosome 14 on the gene for the presenilin 1 protein and chromosome 1 on the gene for presenilin 2. In these inherited forms of Alzheimer's, the disease tends to develop before age 65, sometimes in individuals as young as 30. A genetic factor in late-onset Alzheimer's disease (Alzheimer's disease developing at age 65 or older) is apolipoprotein E-e4 (ApoE-e4). ApoE-e4 is one of three common forms of the ApoE gene, which provides the blueprint for a protein that carries cholesterol in the bloodstream. Everyone inherits one form of the ApoE gene from each of his or her parents. Those who inherit one ApoE-e4 gene have increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Those who inherit two ApoE-e4 genes have an even higher risk. However, inheriting one or two copies of the gene does not guarantee that the individual will develop Alzheimer's.

According to the latest (2010) projections released by the national Alzheimer's Association:

♦ Alzheimer's is the most frequent cause of dementia, accounting for 70 percent of all cases of dementia in Americans aged 71 and older. 

♦ By 2030, all baby boomers will be at least 65 years old. That year, the number of people aged 65 and older with Alzheimer's is expected to reach 7.7 million, more than a 50 percent increase from the 5.1 million age 65 order older currently (2009) affected.

♦ By 2050, that number is expected to reach between 11 and 16 million unless medical breakthroughs identify ways to prevent or more effectively treat the disease. Barring such developments, by 2050 more than 60 percent of people with Alzheimer's disease will be aged 85 or older.

Alzheimer's Impact on Caregivers

Almost 11 million Americans provide unpaid care for a person with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia. These unpaid caregivers are primarily family members but also include friends. In 2009, they provided 12.5 billion hours of unpaid care, a contribution to the nation valued at almost $144 billion. In Texas, an estimated 852,820 caregivers annually provide 971.2 million hours of uncompensated care valued at $11.2 billion.

The 2009 NAC/AARP survey found that 14 percent of caregivers of people with Alzheimer's and other dementias were under age 35; 26 percent were aged 35–49; 46 percent were aged 50–64; and 13 percent were aged 65 and over.

Caring for a person with Alzheimer's or another dementia is often very difficult, and many family and other unpaid caregivers experience high levels of emotional stress and depression as a result. Caregiving also has a negative impact on the health, employment, income and financial security of many caregivers.

Mortality

Alzheimer's disease is the seventh-leading cause of death (across all ages) in the United States and the fifth-leading cause of death for those age 65 and older (2006). 

While other major causes of death continue to experience significant declines, those from Alzheimer's disease have continued to rise. Deaths from Alzheimer's disease increased nationwide by 46.1 percent (2000-2006). In contrast, other leading causes of death declined in this period: heart disease deaths, down 11.1 percent; breast cancer deaths, down 2.6 percent; deaths from prostate cancer, down 8.7 percent; and deaths from stroke, down 18.2 percent.  

Deaths caused by Alzheimer's may be under-reported because persons with the disease usually have one or more serious co-existing conditions, such as heart disease or stroke, which end up being cited on death certificates.

Cost of Alzheimer's Disease

People with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias are high users of health care, long-term care and hospice. Total payments for these types of care from all sources, including Medicare and Medicaid, are three times higher for older people with Alzheimer's and other dementias than for other older people. As the number of people with these conditions grows in the future, payments for their care will increase dramatically. Direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer's and other dementias in 2010 will amount to more than $172 billion.

In 2005, Medicare spent $91 billion on beneficiaries with Alzheimer's and other dementias and that number is projected to more than double to $189 billion by 2015.

Unpaid caregivers of people with Alzheimer's and other dementias provided care valued at more than $1 billion in each of 36 states. States ranking highest in uncompensated AD care provided by caretakers are: California ($16.1 billion), Texas ($11.2 billion), and New York ($9.4 billion).

Source: National Alzheimer's Association (March 2010)