World Alzheimer’s Day 2023: Facts and Figures You Need to Know About this Disease in the U.S.

World Alzheimer’s Day 2023: Alzheimer’s disease is a type of brain disease. It is caused by damage to nerve cells (neurons) in the brain. The chronic illness majorly affects memory, thinking abilities and behaviour. Also, being considered the most common cause of dementia among older adults, the symptoms of Alzheimer's vary from forgetfulness to cognitive impairment. Unfortunately, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, which makes it an even bigger challenge for individuals and caregivers. 

This article will aware you of the number and facts related to the cause and prevalence of brain disease. It is statistical information for U.S. data related to Alzheimer’s disease impact in 2023.

World Alzheimer’s Day 2023: Theme, History and How it is Different from Dementia?

Important Facts And Figures About Alzheimer

• An estimated 6.7 million Americans will be living with Alzheimer’s, a kind of Dementia in 2023.
• About 1 in 9 people (10.8%) age 65 and older have Alzheimer’s dementia.
•  The percentage of people with Alzheimer’s dementia increases with age: 5.0% of people aged 65 to 74, 13.1% of people aged 75 to 84, and 33.3% of people aged 85 and older have Alzheimer’s dementia.
• Although prevalence studies of younger onset dementia in the United States are limited, researchers believe about 110 of every 100,000 people ages 30-64 years, or about 200,000 Americans in total, have younger-onset dementia.
• 8 to 11% of the 62 million Americans who are age 65 and older in 2023 or approximately 5 to 7 million older Americans may have MCI due to Alzheimer’s disease.
• The Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System survey says, a large survey of people across the United States that includes questions on subjective cognitive decline, found that 10% of Americans age 45 and older reported subjective cognitive decline, but 54% of those who reported it had not consulted a health care professional.
• The prevalence numbers included in the report are based on an estimate of how many people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s dementia (prevalence) and the pace at which people newly develop the condition (incidence).
• Both autopsy studies and clinical trials have found that 15% to 30% of individuals who meet the criteria for clinical Alzheimer’s dementia based on symptoms did not have Alzheimer’s.
• According to estimates using data from the CHAP study and the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 910,000 people age 65 or older developed Alzheimer’s dementia in the United States in 2011, a number that would be expected to be even higher in 2023 if CHAP estimates were available for that year.
• By 2025, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s dementia is projected to reach 7.2 million a 7% increase from the 6.7 million age 65 and older affected in 2023.222.
• By 2060, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s dementia is projected to reach 13.8 million, barring the development of medical breakthroughs to prevent, slow or cure Alzheimer’s disease.
• In 2023, about 2.4 million people who have Alzheimer’s dementia are age 85 or older, accounting for 33% of all people with Alzheimer’s dementia.222.
• Between 2018 and 2040, projections for older adults show increases in the American Indian population by 75%, in the Black population by 88%, in the Asian population by 113% and in the Hispanic population by 175%.
• By 2060, 6.7 million people age 85 and older are expected to have Alzheimer’s dementia, accounting for about half (48%) of all people 65 and older with Alzheimer’s dementia.
• Among people aged 70, 61% of those with Alzheimer’s dementia are expected to die before age 80 compared with 30% of people without Alzheimer’s disease.
• Alzheimer’s disease was officially listed as the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States in 2019.371 In 2020 and 2021, when COVID-19 became the third-leading cause of death, Alzheimer’s disease was the seventh-leading cause of death; official counts for 2022 are still being compiled.
• More than 11 million Americans provide unpaid care for a family member or friend with dementia, a contribution to the nation valued at nearly $340 billion.
• An estimated 1.2 million additional direct care workers will be needed between 2020 and 2030 more new workers than in any other single occupation in the United States.
• The costs of health care and long-term care for individuals with Alzheimer’s or other dementias are substantial, and dementia is one of the costliest conditions in society.

Alzheimer's has no permanent cure. The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of two new treatment options in the last two years has generated excitement and hope and possibly some apprehension for individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease, their families and their health care providers. 

Source: 2023 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts And Figures (Alzheimer’s Association)

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