Almost twice as many people are already dying of Alzheimer's than 15 years ago

Alzheimer's deaths are on the rise
More and more older people are suffering from Alzheimer's. This also leads to more deaths as a result of the disease. Alzheimer's disease costs nearly twice as many lives annually as it did 15 years ago. Researchers came to this conclusion in a study of Alzheimer's deaths in the American population.

Researchers at the Alzheimer's Association found that almost twice as many people are now dying from Alzheimer's disease compared to 15 years ago. The physicians published the results of their study in the so-called Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report for the year 2017.

Alzheimer's is a disease that affects more and more older people. This also leads to increased rates of death as a result of the disease. (Image: aytuncoylum / fotolia.com)

Increased life expectancy is not the main cause of death from Alzheimer's disease
The very high rates of death toll from Alzheimer's disease are, frankly, frightening, explains author Keith Fargo of the Alzheimer's Association. Many people will probably think that the reason for this is our increased life expectancy. This is only to a certain extent true.

Alzheimer's is not a normal part of the elderly
Most people do not get Alzheimer's, whether they live for 80 or 90 years. Alzheimer's disease is not normal, so we should not accept it as part of your age. There must definitely be something done against the trend of rising deaths from the disease, the expert adds.

Alzheimer's disease will continue to rise massively
The latest report also found that more than 5 million American seniors over the age of 64 suffer from the disease. This number is expected to rise to 14 million by 2050, researchers say. Alone in 2017, nearly half a million seniors will develop this disease, say the experts. In addition, another 200,000 Americans under the age of 65 are suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Disease leads to massive costs
All of these diseases result in huge costs to the health care system. Nursing Alzheimer's patients in America costs about $ 259 billion a year per year. This amount is expected to rise to $ 1.1 trillion by 2050, the authors wrote.

What causes the increase in costs?
The rising numbers are likely to reflect a number of different factors. In part, the effect is due to the increasing number of older people, explain the physicians. This is partly because of the success in treating other leading causes of death, but also because of the growing awareness that Alzheimer's is a deadly disease.

Alzheimer's is the sixth most common cause of death in America
The report also showed that Alzheimer's is now the fifth leading cause of death among seniors. In general, Alzheimer's is the sixth most common cause of death among Americans, say the scientists. There is no prevention, no real progress in treatment, and no lasting cure for the disease.

The health of the carers also suffers from Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's also has a negative impact on the health of caregivers of Alzheimer's and dementia patients. More than a third (35 percent) of caregivers reported that their health has deteriorated as a result of caring for Alzheimer's patients. By contrast, only 19 percent of caregivers of older people without dementia saw a deterioration in their own health, say the physicians. Nursing staff of dementia patients also suffered more often from depression and anxiety.

Telltale signs of Alzheimer's need to be recognized more effectively
But the report also showed growing efforts in identifying telltale signs of the disease's development. The goal is to better recognize neurological signs, the authors explain. These include, for example, changes in brain size, shifts in spinal fluid content, and growth of so-called nerve plaques in the human brain. (As)