Alzheimer's Disease Facts

According to the Alzheimer's Association, 5.3 million people in America have Alzheimer's disease. Health care costs are three times as high for citizens over the age of 65 that have Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's disease is also the seventh highest leading cause of death in the world, as the most common form of dementia is Alzheimer's disease which is a fatal progressive brain disease. There is currently no cure for Alzheimer's disease.

Warning Signs

The Alzheimer's Association has determined that there are ten warning signs for Alzheimer's disease. These warning signs include changes to memory that disrupt daily living, trouble with planning or problem solving, difficulty with daily tasks, confusion regarding place or time, vision problems, trouble speaking or writing, misplacing objects, impaired judgment, withdrawal from society, and mood or personality changes.

Risk Factors

According to the 2009 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report, Alzheimer's disease does not have a single cause but does have multiple contributing factors. The largest risk factor for Alzheimer's Disease is age. The majority of people that have Alzheimer's Disease are over the age of 64. Less than five percent of all Alzheimer's Disease cases are caused by rare genetic variations.

Morality

The 2009 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report states that 49,558 people died from Alzheimer's disease in 2000 and 72,914 people died from Alzheimer's disease in 2006. From 2000 to 2006, there was a 47.1 percent increase in the number of people that died from Alzheimer's disease. In 2006, Alzheimer's disease was the sixth highest leading cause of death in the world.

Cost

During 2005, Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia created a Medicare cost of $91 billion. In 2002, it was calculated that $36.5 billion of indirect costs to businesses resulted from employees missing work or being unproductive who had Alzheimer's disease.

Growth

According to the Alzheimer's Association, the first wave of baby boomers will reach the age of 85 in 2031. By that time, 3.5 million people over the age of 85 will have Alzheimer's disease in America. Between 11 and 16 million people over the age of 65 will have Alzheimer's disease by 2050.

Prevention

According to the Mayo Clinic, there is no surefire way to prevent Alzheimer's disease. However, staying active socially, physically and mentally seems to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Heart disease and Alzheimer's disease have many of the same risk factors. Some of these risk factors include high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diets high in saturated fat. The Mayo Clinic suggests that lowering your risk for heart disease may result in a lower risk for Alzheimer's disease.

Treatment

There is currently no treatment that has been proven to prevent or cure Alzheimer's disease entirely. According to the National Institute of Health, four drugs have been approved for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, including donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine and namenda.

References

• Alzheimer's Association
• Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures Report
• National Institutes of Health - National Institute on Aging