A Rapid Growth of Alzheimer's cases

[bluechris]

With the rapidly growing number of Alzheimer's cases in this country, adult daycare has become a big necessity. So organizations like the Community Programs Center of Long Island, in New York, have arranged a system for Alzheimer's patients to spend time with young children every day.

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[neuroscan20]

heres something to think about, the more you're educated, the more likely you'll increase the onsent of alzheimer disease (AD), provided you had an early diagnosis

 

[foo]

heres something to think about, the more you're educated, the more likely you'll increase the onsent of alzheimer disease (AD), provided you had an early diagnosis

I am sure you meant to point out that there might be a correlation between education or intelligence and a "delay in the onset of alzheimer" symptoms, not an "increase onset"... Perhaps intelligent people cope or mask cognitive problems for a longer period of time. The delay in onset is a good thing but once the coping mechanisms stop working there is a rapid deterioration of cognitive abilities (very sad to experience this).

Why are we seeing such a rapid growth in Alzheimer cases? Is it that people are living longer? Is it that it is being diagnosed or recognized more frequently than in the past? Is it environmental factors?

I was shocked to learn the actual number of cases that exist and how common it is... (guess I was not paying attention).

 

[feedyourhead]

Why are we seeing such a rapid growth in Alzheimer cases? Is it that people are living longer? Is it that it is being diagnosed or recognized more frequently than in the past? Is it environmental factors?

I was shocked to learn the actual number of cases that exist and how common it is... (guess I was not paying attention).

I am currently taking a class about Alzheimer's Disease and from what I have learned there are two main factors that have lead to the increase in alzheimer's cases. The first is that people are indeed living longer. The second factor is that the baby boomer generation(1946-1964) is beginning to reach the age where it is more common to develop AD. It is well known that the baby boomers are one of the largest generations in history and by 2011 the baby boomers will begin to reach the age of 65. According to one book that I read an estimated 1% of people 65 and older develop AD. Among people 70 years of age and older 3% have AD. This trend continues as follows...

6% of people 73 and older have AD
9% of people 75 and older have AD
13% of people 77 and older have AD

It is estimated that half of all people 85 and older have developed Alzheimer’s Disease. It is estimated that the number of people suffering from Alzheimer's in the United States is somewhere around 4 million. That number is expected to double every twenty years, making a potential cure for AD far more influential than the polio vaccine was. So in short, the answer to your question is that more people are living longer and the number of elderly people has increased.

I may be just a senior in high school, but I have already had the privelidge of working under a teacher who had basically dedicated his life to the fight against Alzheimer's disease to the point that he is even leaving his current life behind to focus more on an Alzheimer's awareness organization that he co-founded. I hope this post proves to be informative and provides the answers you were looking for, and if AD is a subject of interest for you, you may want to read a book called The Forgetting by David Shenk. He does a nice job explaining both the current situation with AD and what to expect in the future regarding Alzheimer’s disease (mostly bleak). He also does a good job describing the condition of a person suffering from dementia.