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More than 35 million people worldwide — 5.5 million in the
United States — have Alzheimer's disease, a deterioration of
memory and other cognitive domains. Alzheimer's disease is the most common
form of dementia, accounting for 50 to 56% of cases at autopsy
and in clinical series. Michael A. Meyer MD |
The principal risk factor for Alzheimer's disease is age. The incidence
of the disease doubles every 5 years after 65 years of age,
with the diagnosis of 1275 new cases per year per 100,000 persons
older than 65 years of age. The odds of receiving the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease
after 85 years of age exceed one in three. As the aging population
increases, the prevalence will approach 13.2 to 16.0 million
cases in the United States by mid-century. |
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