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Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Alzheimer’s Cases Jump 10 Percent as 4.9 Million
Senior Citizens Now Afflicted
Someone develops Alzheimer’s every 72 seconds, says
Alzheimer’s Association report
 March 20, 2007 - The Alzheimer’s Association today
reports that there are now more than 5 million people in the United
States living with Alzheimer’s disease, which includes 4.9 million
senior citizens - people over the age of 65. This 2007 estimated is a 10
percent increase from the previous prevalence nationwide estimate of 4.5
million. The report also found between 200,000 and 500,000 people under
age 65 with early onset Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
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Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health |
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The greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s is
increasing age, and with 78 million baby boomers beginning to turn 60
last year, it is estimated that someone in America develops Alzheimer’s
every 72 seconds; by mid-century someone will develop Alzheimer’s every
33 seconds.
These new estimates, as well as other data
concerning the disease and its effects, are issued today as hundreds of
advocates from across the country gather in the nation’s capitol for the
Alzheimer’s Association’s annual Public Policy Forum.
The report titled, 2007 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts
and Figures, is being released at a hearing today chaired by Senator
Barbara Mikulski. Senators Barbara Mikulski and Christopher Bond and
Representatives Edward Markey and Christopher Smith have introduced
bipartisan legislation to address problems identified in the
Association’s report.
The Association’s report details the escalation of
Alzheimer’s disease which now is the seventh leading cause of death in
the country and the fifth leading cause of death for those over age 65.
It also offers numerous statistics that convey the burden that
Alzheimer’s imposes on individuals, families, state and federal
governments, businesses, and the nation’s health care system. For
example:
● Without a cure or effective treatments to delay
the onset or progression of the Alzheimer’s, the prevalence could soar
to 7.7 million people with the disease by 2030, which is more than the
population of 140 of the 236 United Nations countries.
● By mid-century, the number of people with
Alzheimer’s is expected to grow to as many as 16 million, more than the
current total population of New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and
Houston combined.
● As the prevalence impact of Alzheimer’s grows,
so does the cost to the nation. The direct and indirect costs of
Alzheimer’s and other dementias amount to more than $148 billion
annually, which is more than the annual sales of any retailer in the
world excluding Wal-Mart.
“Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures clearly
shows the tremendous impact this disease is having on the nation; and
with the projected growth of the disease, the collective impact on
individuals, families, Medicare, Medicaid, and businesses will be even
greater,” says Harry Johns, President and CEO of the Alzheimer’s
Association.
“However there is hope. There are currently nine
drugs in Phase III clinical trials for Alzheimer’s several of which show
great promise to slow or stop the progression of the disease. This,
combined with advancements in diagnostic tools, has the potential to
change the landscape of Alzheimer’s.”
According to the latest statistics from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2000-2004 death rates have
declined for most major diseases -- heart disease (-8 percent), breast
cancer (-2.6 percent), prostate cancer (-6.3 percent) and stroke (-10.4
percent), while Alzheimer’s disease deaths continue to trend upward,
increasing 33 percent during that period.
“We must make the fight against Alzheimer’s a
national priority before it’s too late. The absence of effective
disease modifying drugs, coupled with an aging population, makes
Alzheimer’s the health care crisis of the 21st century,” Johns said.
Medicare currently spends nearly three times as
much for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias than for the
average Medicare beneficiary. Medicare costs are projected to double
from $91 billion in 2005 to more than $189 billion by 2015, more than
the current gross national product of 86 percent of the world’s
countries.
In 2005, state and federal Medicaid spending for
nursing home and home care for people with Alzheimer’s and other
dementias was estimated at $21 billion; that number is projected to
increase to $27 billion by 2015.
The new report also highlights the impact that
Alzheimer’s has on states with more than 6 in 10 (62%) having double
digit growth in prevalence by the end of the decade.
In addition, Alaska (+47%), Colorado (+47%), Utah
(+45%), Wyoming (+43%), Nevada (+38%), Idaho (+37%), Oregon (+33%), and
Washington (+33%) will experience increases ranging from one-third to
one-half.
The states with the largest numbers of deaths due
to Alzheimer’s disease in 2003 were (1) California, (2) Florida, (3)
Texas, (4) Pennsylvania, and (5) Ohio.
The Alzheimer’s Association is the first and
largest voluntary health organization dedicated to finding prevention
methods, treatments and an eventual cure for Alzheimer’s. For more than
25 years, the Association has provided reliable information and care
consultation; created services for families; increased funding for
dementia research; and influenced public policy changes.
“Soon, Alzheimer’s disease will touch everyone in
this country in some form or another," said Samuel Gandy, MD, PhD, chair
of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Council
“The dramatic rise in Alzheimer’s underscores that
this disease has the ability to undermine the entire U.S. healthcare
system. Looking just at Medicare and Medicaid, if we could find an
intervention that could delay onset or slow progression of the disease,
in short order spending on Alzheimer’s could decline by more than $60
billion dollars, with even larger savings every year thereafter,”
according to Stephen McConnell, PhD, Alzheimer’s Association vice
president of Advocacy and Public Policy
Highlights - Alzheimer’s
Association Report
2007 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts
and Figures
Prevalence
• In 2007, it is estimated that there are now more
than 5 million people living with Alzheimer’s disease in the United
States. This includes 4.9 million people over the age of 65 and between
200,000 and 500,000 people under age 65 with early onset Alzheimer’s
disease and other dementias.
• One out of eight people age 65 and older has
Alzheimer’s and nearly one out of two over age 85 has it.
• Age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s.
A small percentage of Alzheimer cases is caused by rare, genetic
variations found in a few hundred families worldwide.
• Only 19 percent of people with Alzheimer’s and
other dementias actually have the diagnosis recorded in their medical
records.
• Seventy (70) percent of people with Alzheimer’s
and other dementias live at home, cared for by family and friends.
• Seventy (70) percent of nursing home residents
have some degree of cognitive impairment; 47 percent of all nursing home
residents have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia in
their medical records.
Mortality
• Alzheimer’s disease is the seventh leading cause
of death for people in the United States; and the fifth leading cause of
death for those over the age of 65.
• From 2000 to 2004, deaths from Alzheimer’s
disease increased by 32.8 percent. Deaths from heart disease decreased
by 8 percent, breast cancer deaths decreased by 2.6 percent, prostate
cancer deaths decreased by 6.3 percent, and stroke deaths decreased by
10.4 percent.
o In fact, the number of 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.
• People with Alzheimer’s in general have decreased
survival in the general population. One study noted that people with
Alzheimer’s survive about half as long as those of similar age who
didn’t have Alzheimer’s. Survival time was four to six years after
diagnosis, but survival time can be as long as 20 years from the
detection of the first symptoms.
Cost of Alzheimer’s
Disease
• Direct and indirect
costs of Alzheimer’s and other dementia’s amount to more than $148
billion annually.
• 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.
• The medical costs of
those with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are more than double
the amount of those without when one or more other chronic conditions,
such as coronary heart disease and diabetes, is present.
• Almost 10 million
Americans are caring for a person with Alzheimer’s or another dementia;
approximately one out of three of these caregivers is 60 years or older.
• In 2005, it is
estimated that unpaid caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease and
other dementias provided 8.5 billion hours of care valued at almost $83
billion dollars.
• More than half of the
states in America provide more than a billion dollars in unpaid care
each year. The leading states are: California ($8.5 billion), Texas
($5.8 billion), New York ($5.2 billion), Florida ($4.6 billion),
Pennsylvania ($3.6 billion).
>> Download Report:
2007 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures (28 pages)
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