WASHINGTON, Mar 18, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- An estimated 10 million baby
boomers in the United States will develop Alzheimer's disease, the Alzheimer's
Association said Tuesday.
The organization said the debilitating brain disorder is now is the
seventh-leading cause of death in the United States and the fifth-leading cause
of death for those over age 65.
"The information in the 2008 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures makes it
clear the Alzheimer crisis cannot be ignored -- not when 10 million baby boomers
are at risk for developing this fatal disease," Harry Johns, the association's
president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. "Unchecked, this
disease will impose staggering consequences on families, the economy and the
nation's health and long-term care infrastructure."
As many as 5.2 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer's
disease or other dementia. The report said experts predict by 2010, there will
be almost a half-million new cases of Alzheimer's disease each year and almost a
million new cases a year by 2050.
URL: www.upi.com
Copyright 2008 by United Press International