Report Spells out Looming Alzheimer Crisis

Ten million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s disease in their lifetime, according to the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2008 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report.

The annual statistical abstract, an update of the inaugural 2007 edition, also reports the startling facts that someone in America develops Alzheimer’s every 71 seconds, and by mid-century someone will develop Alzheimer’s every 33 seconds.

As many as 5.2 million Americans are now living with Alzheimer’s, making the disease the nation’s seventh-leading cause of death and the fifth-leading cause of death for those over age 65. By 2010, there will be almost a half million new cases of Alzheimer’s disease a year, and by 2050, there will be almost a million new cases yearly.

Now is the time to address this looming epidemic that currently has no effective disease-modifying treatments that halt or delay the progression of the disease. Please donate, advocate or volunteer in the fight against Alzheimer’s. To find out more about the disease or what you can do, as well as view the full text of the 2008 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report, visit www.alz.org.