Last Updated: 2002-07-24 10:00:31 -0400 (Reuters Health)
STOCKHOLM (Reuters Health) - Recent US census figures suggest that by 2050, the number of people with Alzheimer's disease will triple, researchers reported here at the 8th International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders.
Currently, there are about 4.6 million people with Alzheimer's disease living in the US, according to Dr. Denis Evans of the Rush Institute in Chicago, Illinois, and colleagues there and at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.
Based on 1990 and 2000 census data, as well as data from the ongoing Chicago Health and Aging Project, the researchers estimate that there will be 11 million to 16 million people with Alzheimer's by 2050. The disease will be most common among those aged 85 and older.
Jed Levine, program director of the New York City chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, told Reuters Health that he is not surprised by the estimates. "The number of people over 85 has increased and is going to increase. (The figures) have a demographic explanation."
Levine added, "Alzheimer's is going to be one of the major health crises in the future. We are currently spending $100 billion on caring for Alzheimer's patients." He warned that the growing epidemic will further stress the country's already-stretched healthcare system and put an "enormous burden" on Medicare and Medicaid.
"We are not ready, not adequately prepared to handle the Alzheimer's patients we have now. The system is fragmented," Levine said. "As the numbers (of patients) grow, the problem will grow." He stressed that more research funding is needed to develop strategies for preventing and treating the disease.
