• Special Report: Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures
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June 2008 Update: Alzheimer's disease now sixth-leading cause of death

What is Alzheimer's?

Alzheimer’s (AHLZ-high-merz) is a fatal brain disease that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. It is not a normal part of aging. The disease destroys brain cells, slowly and painfully taking away a person's identity and ability to connect with others, think, talk, walk and find their way home.

Brain Tour Learn how Alzheimer's affects the brain.

If we don't find a way to prevent or stop it, Alzheimer's will continue to have a destructive impact on our families and communities and will bankrupt the healthcare system.

Most common form of dementia

Dementia is a general term for the loss of memory and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s accounts for 50 to 70 percent of dementia cases.

More common than you think

As many as 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. In 2050, the number of people in the United States with Alzheimer’s could reach 16 million.

In just three years, the first wave of baby boomers will begin to turn age 65, the age of greatest risk for developing Alzheimer's. Experts estimate 10 million baby boomers will develop the disease in their lifetime.

This disease doesn't just strike those over 65: Some 500,000 people in their 30s, 40s and 50s have Alzheimer’s or a related dementia.

Gets worse over time

Alzheimer’s gets worse over time and ultimately kills. Although symptoms can vary widely, the first problem many people notice is forgetfulness severe enough to affect their ability to function at home or at work or to enjoy lifelong hobbies.

Other symptoms include confusion, getting lost in familiar places, misplacing things and problems with speaking and writing.

There is no cure

Alzheimer’s leaves no survivors – and there is no cure. There are no medications that halt or delay the progression of the disease. But treatments for symptoms, combined with the right services and support, can make life better for the millions of Americans living with Alzheimer's.

Impacts our entire society

Alzheimer’s takes an enormous toll on society. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates the direct costs to Medicare and Medicaid for care of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias and the indirect costs to business for employees who are caring for Alzheimer’s amount to more than $148 billion each year.

Millions of family members are currently facing the enormous physical, emotional and financial impact of caring for a loved one. Seventy percent of people with Alzheimer’s live at home, where family and friends provide most of their care and pay for it out of their own pockets.

Hope on the horizon

An accelerating worldwide effort is under way to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset and prevent it from developing.

Several drugs are in Phase III clinical trials, and many show great promise at slowing or stopping the progression of Alzheimer's.