Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia; accounting
for an estimated 60% to 80% of cases. This progressive brain disease develops slowly but has a huge impact on those who are living with it, their families, and caregivers.
Most individuals also have the brain changes of one or more other types of
dementia. This is called mixed pathology, and if recognized during life is called mixed dementia.
The number of people living with Alzheimer’s disease is growing. The ripple effect is straining families, communities, and the healthcare system, yet talking about the disease on a personal level can be difficult.
FACTS on Alzheimer’s Disease:
- About 6.7 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s disease.
- It’s the most commonTrusted Source form of dementia.
- It can start 20 years or more before symptoms appear.
- Researchers believe that Alzheimer’s is due to an abnormal accumulation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Although they don’t know why this accumulation occurs, it may involveTrusted Source a combination of factors, including factors that may be:
- genetic
- environmental
- lifestyle-related
- About 5% to 6% of cases are “early onset,” meaning symptoms start before the age of 65 years.
- Compared with other older adults, those with dementia have twice as many hospital stays per year.
- There are great variations, but the average life span after diagnosis is 4 to 8 years.
- It’s the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and a cause of mortality worldwide.
- Among people age 65 years or older, the Alzheimer’s mortality rate rose 70% from 2000 to 2020.
- In the United States, more than 11 million people provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias.
- In 2022, unpaid caregivers provided about 18 billion hours of care valued at $339.5 billion.
The frantic search for car keys, forgetting why you entered a room, or bumping into an acquaintance whose name you can’t remember: We’ve all been there. If things like that happen occasionally, there’s no cause for concern.