Alzheimer's Fact Sheet

In honor of World Alzheimer's Day I wanted to compile a fact sheet for anyone who may or may not be familiar with Alzheimer's. Despite my own Alzheimer's research, I still found these facts to be extremely interesting and eye-opening. Each fact further proves the gravity of the disease and the necessity to continue research and funding.

We're still a long way from a cure for this debilitating disease, but raising awareness is a big step in the right direction. In the comments section feel free to add your own facts and figures, questions, and share your stories. And this week—wear purple, write congress, donate, email, tweet, blog, or start a conversation with someone about Alzheimer's.

Facts & Figures
• In 1906, German physician Alois Alzheimer studied a woman who had progressed from memory problems to being bedridden to death. During an autopy, he saw signs of brain shrinkage and damage. In 1910 the disease was named after its founder.
• Right now about 5.3 million people in the US are living with Alzheimer's
• The latest news out today says by 2010 about 35.6 million will have dementia worldwide. in 2030? 65.7 million. and in 2050? 115.4 million.
• Alzheimer's and dementia triple healthcare costs for Americans 65+
• Every 70 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer's
• Alzheimer's is the 7th leading cause of death (6th leading cause in 2006) and the 5th leading cause of death for those 65+
• The direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer's and other dementias amount to more than $148 billion each year
• Alzheimer's is the most common type of dementia - about 60-80% of cases
• Early symptoms include difficultly remember names or recent events, apathy, and depression. Later symptoms include impaired judgment, disorientation, confusion, changes in behavior, and trouble speaking, swallowing, and walking.
• Deposits of the protein beta-amyloid plagues and twisted strangs of the protein tau point to Alzheimer's
• A healthy adult brain has 100 billion nerve cells (neurons) with branching extensions connected at 100 trillion points (synapses) - Alzheimer's causes synapses to fail and the number of synapses declines and brain cells die
• More women than men have Alzheimer's and other dementias probably because women live longer than men on average and this increases the time to develop Alz
• 1 in 8 people over 65 (~13%) have Alzheimer's, 1 in 7 over 71.
• Some researches believe that more years of education provides a "cognitive reserve" that allows people to compensate for symptoms of Alzheimer's
• Others believe that it is not education but socioeconomic factors (like access to healthcare and higher disease rates) that might affect who gets Alz. There have been racial and ethnic differences though no true consistency has yet been found
• The steady growth of older people leads to a steady increase of Alzheimer's
• By the year 2050, every 33 seconds someone will develop Alz
• In 2011 the first baby boomers will turn 65. By 2029, all baby boomers will be at least 65.
• Adults 85+ account for ~50% of all Alz cases (2.7 million people) when baby boomers reach 85 in 2031, there will be 3.5 million people with Alz
• From 2000-2006, death rates for heart disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and stroke are all down--Alzheimer's continues to rise. (47.1% from '00-'06)
• 9.9 million family members, friends, and neighbors provided unpaid care for an Alz or dementia patient in 2008 - that year 8.5 billion hours of Alz care was given
• The average Alz caregiver provides 40 hr/week while other caregivers of older adults spend 16 hr/week on care. Unpaid caregivers in CA, FL, NY, PA, and TX provided around $4 billion in care. About 57& of caregivers are employed full or part time. About 49% of non-spousal caregivers spent $219/month out-of-pocket on care.
• 60% of Alz caregivers are women
• 87% of Alz caregivers are family members
• 10% of caregivers live 2+ hours away from the patient ("long-distance caregivers")
• 32% of unpaid caregivers have being caring for 5+ years
• About 1/3 of family caregivers of Alz patients have depression symptoms - caregiver stress (especially related to dealing with behavioral problems) leads to nursing home placement - one study showed that this stress did not decrease after placement
• Caregivers of Alz patients are more likely than non-caregivers to have high stress hormones, reduced immune function, slow wound healing, new hypertension, and new coronary heart diease. 24% of spousal caregivers go to the ER or receive hospitalization


Alzheimer's Myths - The following are not true:

1) Memory loss is a natural part of aging. -- Experts now associate severe memory loss as a symptom of serious illness. In fact, no one is quite sure if there is any natural memory loss related with regular aging.

2) Alzheimer's disease is not fatal. -- In fact, no one who has Alzheimer's survives it. Because it destroys brain cells, memory loss, erratic behavior, and loss of body function–Alzheimer's affects a person's whole identity: how they interact with others, how they think, eat, talk, walk, and recognize their world.

3) Only old people get Alzheimer's. -- As we've learned recently, even young can have diseases similar to Alzheimer's. Many people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s suffer a type of Alzheimer's called early onset. Right now about 5.3 million people have Alzheimer's in the US alone and about 200,000 of those are under the age of 65.

4) Drinking out of aluminum cans or cooking in aluminum pots and pans leads to Alzheimer's. -- This is a myth from the 60s and 70s that linked aluminum to Alzheimer's. Everyday exposure made people concerned about all of the aluminum-containing products (including antacids and antiperspirants). However no studies have actually linked the two and more and more experts see no harm in everyday aluminum exposure.

5) Aspartame causes memory loss. -- The artificial sweetener that's in almost everything these days (Nutrasweet and Equal) has been used in products since 1996 and caused some to distrust its safety. But the FDA said in 2006 that they had received no scientific evidence that proved aspartame unsafe for consumers.

6) Flu shots increase your Alzheimer's risk. -- In fact vaccinations might lead to a reduced risk of Alzheimer's. One journal says that people vaccinated with the tetanus, polio, and flu shot show had a lower risk than those who weren't. Another study said anyone who had the flu shot had a reduced death risk from all causes.

7) Silver dental fillings increase risk of Alzheimer's. -- No scientific evidence shows a relationship between the two. The myth comes from fact that fillings are made with part Mercury, which is toxic to our brains and organs. But because the fillings are made of a mixture of metals it is not a major risk for Alzheimer's. Tests have proven this over the last two decades.

8) There are treatments that can stop the progression of Alzheimer's. Unfortunately there is no actual treatment to cure, delay, or stop the progression of Alz. Some drugs temporary slow worsening of symptoms for 6-12 months in about 50% of patients who take them.

Check out these links:
All of the info here is from Alz.org
Alzheimer's Info on WEGO Health
Join the Alzheimer's Group
Blog posts about Alz on WEGO Health

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