Alzheimer's: Experts expect a dramatic increase
All content is checked by medical journalists.MunichPeople are getting older - does the increased life expectancy come at the expense of mental health? At least that is what a US study predicts. The researchers believe that the number of people with Alzheimer's disease in the United States will have tripled by 2050. There are similar scenarios for Germany.
Jennifer Weuve and her team from Rush University in Chicago accompanied almost 10,800 people aged 65 and over from 1993 to 2011. During this period, the participants were interviewed every three years and examined for signs of dementia. The scientists then combined the data with general information on death rates and population estimates. The resulting extrapolation showed that while there were around 4.7 million people affected in 2010, in forty years 13.8 million patients will suffer from Alzheimer's. Of these, over seven million will be 85 years or older.
The prediction published in the specialist journal "Neurology" thus joins a series of similar results. "All the prognoses made in recent years predict a future with a dramatic increase in Alzheimer's cases - that should force us to prepare for it," said Weuve.
Doubling of the number of cases in Germany
According to the German Alzheimer's Society, there are currently 1.4 million people with dementia living in Germany - up to 70 percent of them suffer from Alzheimer's. The experts assume that if there is no breakthrough in the treatment or prevention of dementia, the number of people affected in Germany will rise to 3 million by 2050.
So far not curable
Alzheimer's is characterized by an initial memory deficit, which in the further course leads to a complete loss of judgment and personality. Symptoms are caused by brain cell death that occurs along with debris in the brain. It is not clear whether the deposits are the cause or a side effect of cell death. The disease is not yet curable. However, the earlier it is recognized, the sooner the process can be slowed down. (lh)
Source: L. E. Hebert, et al. Alzheimer's disease in the United States (2010-2050) estimated using the 2010 census. Neurology, 2013; DOI: 10.1212 / WNL.0b013e31828726f5
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