17 Things No One Tells You About Alzheimer’s Disease

Every 67 seconds, a person in the U.S. develops Alzheimer’s disease.posted on Sept. 4, 2014, at 1:01 p.m.

1. Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

2. One in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.

3. Women are affected by Alzheimer’s most. Almost two-thirds of Alzheimer’s patients are women.

4. Women in their sixties are about two times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s in their lifetime than they are to develop breast cancer.

5. Every 67 seconds, another person in the United States develops Alzheimer’s.

6. There are currently more than five million Americans living with Alzheimer’s.

7. Alzheimer’s is the most expensive condition in the nation.

8. Worldwide, nearly 36 million people have Alzheimer’s or a related dementia.

9. African Americans and Hispanic Americans are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than Caucasian Americans.

10. In 2031, when baby boomers reach the age 85, it is expected that more than 3 million people 85 and older will have Alzheimer’s.

11. Globally, the cost of Alzheimer’s and dementia is estimated around $605 billion. This is equivalent to 1% of the entire world’s gross domestic product.

12. In 2013, over 15.5 million family members and friends provided over 17 billion hours of unpaid care to those suffering from Alzheimer’s.

13. And because of the physical and emotional burdens that caregivers experience, caregivers had $9.3 billion in additional health care costs of their own due to high levels of stress.

14. Unless a cure is found, Alzheimer’s disease isn't going away. It’s estimated by 2050, 16 million Americans will be living with Alzheimer’s disease.

15. And Alzheimer’s will take your loved ones away from you… and never give them back.

16. However, in 2013, the Alzheimer’s Association invested almost $15 million in over 75 scientific investigations in an effort to end Alzheimer’s disease.

17. Since 1982, the Alzheimer’s Association has invested nearly $320 million toward science to help end this terrible disease. And someday, they hope to find a cure.