More and more baby boomers will develop Alzheimer's-Report

An estimated 10 million of the United States’ 79 million baby boomers will likely develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common type of dementia, and other forms of memory lapse disease in their lifetime, revealed a new report released by the Alzheimer’s Association.

The report, “2008 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures,” estimates that one in eight baby boomers will likely develop Alzheimer’s disease as they get older, putting more strains on the U.S. health-care system and researchers who have been trying hard to formulate various methods to prevent the memory-robbing illness.

Alzheimer’s is mainly a neurological disorder where a person slowly and progressively starts loosing his memory due to gradual loss of brain cells. It is the most common form of dementia (loss of intellectual ability) and is the fourth leading cause of deaths in adults according to National Institute of Health (NIH).

According to the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association, Inc. Alzheimer’s is caused gradually and the entire process is divided into 7 stages. Its symptoms include loss of memory, confusion and problems with speech and understanding.

The other major symptoms of Alzheimer’s are aphasia, apraxia, agnosia. Impairment is also caused in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, fading decision-making and planning abilities. The causes of Alzheimer’s are still vague and unknown.

The latest mind-boggling statistics shows that over the next four decades one out of eight people born between 1946 and 1964 will develop Alzheimer’s disease, a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive corrosion, loss of memory, and inhibited daily functioning.

The oldest baby boomers are turning 62 this year and by definition are at increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Stephen McConnell, Vice President of public policy for the Alzheimer’s Association said that age is the largest major factor linked with the disease. After turning 65, chances of developing Alzheimer’s doubles every 5 years.

In 2005, USA spent $76 billion to care for the above 6 million Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s. It is expected that this figure is just one sixth of what the government will spent on the patients this year. Worldwide, about $315 billion was spent for the care and treatment of the people suffering from Alzheimer’s in 2005, and the figure is likely to increase like a mammoth in the present year. The spending could jump to $160 billion by 2010 and $189 billion by 2015.

The report also projects that U.S. will be faced with a half-million new cases of Alzheimer’s in 2010 and there will be one million new cases of Alzheimer’s annually by the year 2050.