Almost every second person is afraid of Alzheimer's

Almost half of Germans are worried about Alzheimer's disease

04/14/2014

The fear of Alzheimer's is relatively common among seniors in Germany. A representative survey commissioned by the „Alzheimer's Research Initiative“(AFI) found that 62 percent of Germans between the ages of 60 and 69 are concerned about Alzheimer's disease. Overall, almost half of the respondents were concerned about a possible own Alzheimer's disease.

„Alzheimer's is a widespread disease with around 1.2 million patients“ and is correspondingly large „the concern of the Germans to be affected even by the age of the disease“, reports the AFI. Overall, according to the results of the survey conducted by the Allensbach Institute, almost half of Germans (45 percent) are afraid of the neurodegenerative disease. According to the AFI, concern is much greater among women than men (51 percent vs. 39 percent). In addition, people with Alzheimer's disease in the family or in the circle of acquaintances would increasingly fear the disease (66 percent or 58 percent). With age, the fear of Alzheimer's disease generally increases.

The Alzheimer's risk, which is known to increase in old age, is also reflected in the current survey. Thus, the concern about the disease increases significantly with age. Among the 16 to 29 year olds, not even one in five (18 percent) had concerns about his or her memory in old age „There were already more than half (54 percent) of the 50 to 59-year-olds“, reports the AFI. Among those over 70 years old, about seven in ten respondents were concerned about Alzheimer's disease. In total, the representative survey conducted by the Allensbach Institute for Demoscopy surveyed 1,507 persons aged 16 and over. In addition to such surveys, the Alzheimer Research Initiative also funds numerous research projects and provides comprehensive information on Alzheimer's disease, free of charge. (Fp)