Data Extraction And Study Quality
Two reviewers extracted data from included articles using a standard data collection form. Any disagreement was resolved by consensus. When multiple articles reported data on the same study population, the most accurate and comprehensive data as determined by the reviewers were used. In cases where the studies reported on different data collection years or subgroups , all data were included. The demographic data recorded included age, sex, setting and study location . The approach to ascertain cases was noted, as were sources of data and definitions/diagnostic criteria used. Incidence and prevalence estimates of AD dementia from each study were recorded, along with any stratification by age, sex or year of data collection. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using an assessment toolReference Loney, Chambers, Bennett, Roberts and Stratford21,Reference Boyle22 , with each study given a quality score that ranged from 0 to 8 .
Q: Who Is Most Likely To Be Affected By Alzheimers Disease
A: AD is much more likely to affect those who are older popular statistics indicate that once an individual reaches the age of 65, their risk of developing Alzheimers doubles every five years.56 Additionally, nearly two-thirds of those diagnosed with AD in the United States are women.57 Recent studies indicate women may be more likely to develop AD because women tend to live longer than men, and the hormone changes that occur in many womens bodies due to aging may make females more susceptible to developing the amyloid plaques characteristic of AD.58 For women or men who carry theapolipoprotein-e4 alleleOne variation of the Apolipoprotein-e gene, which involves the metabolism and repairing of cell membranes in the central and peripheral nervous systems. This allele most likely contributes to plaque buildup and neurofibrillary tangles, both risk factors for developing Alzheimers Disease.4, the risk of developing AD is higher than for individuals who do not carry the allele.59, 60
Given the complex nature of mental health issues, it is unclear how much mental health issues such as depression independently correlate with increased risk of AD.66, 67 However, one study notes that patients with severe depression were 2.7 times more likely to be diagnosed withdementiaA usually progressive condition marked by the development of multiple cognitive deficits such as memory impairment, aphasia, and the inability to plan and initiate complex behavior.10 in the next 3 years.68
Interventions Toward Primary Prevention
Primary intervention strategies
Theoretically, even if the mechanisms of vascular and psychosocial factors being involved in the pathogenesis and clinical expression of AD are still not fully understood, primary prevention seems possible as most vascular factors and disorders, psychosocial factors, and lifestyle factors are modifiable or amenable to management.38,175 One intervention strategy is to target vascular pathways, including management of midlife, high blood pressure and obesity, high blood glucose level, and diabetes. In addition, preventing recurrent cerebrovascular disease and maintaining sufficient cerebral blood perfusion by adequately managing heart failure and avoiding very low blood pressure may help postpone clinical expression of the dementia syndrome, especially among very old people. The second strategy is to maintain the more active and socially integrated lifestyles by establishing extensive social networks and frequently participating in social, physical, and intellectually stimulating activities, which may reduce the risk or delay the onset of AD.38,132 Taken together, the most effective strategy may be to encourage, people implementing multiple preventive measures throughout the life course, including high educational attainment in childhood and early adulthood, active control of vascular factors and disorders over adulthood, and maintenance of mentally, physically, and socially active lifestyles during middle age and later in life.
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Managing Alzheimer’s Disease Behavior
Common behavioral symptoms of Alzheimers include sleeplessness, wandering, agitation, anxiety, and aggression. Scientists are learning why these symptoms occur and are studying new treatments drug and nondrug to manage them. Research has shown that treating behavioral symptoms can make people with Alzheimers more comfortable and makes things easier for caregivers.
Health Environmental And Lifestyle Factors
Research suggests that a host of factors beyond genetics may play a role in the development and course of Alzheimers. There is a great deal of interest, for example, in the relationship between cognitive decline and vascular conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure, as well as metabolic diseases, such as diabetes and obesity. Ongoing research will help us understand whether and how reducing risk factors for these conditions may also reduce the risk of Alzheimers.
A nutritious diet, physical activity, social engagement, and mentally stimulating pursuits have all been associated with helping people stay healthy as they age. These factors might also help reduce the risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimers. Researchers are testing some of these possibilities in clinical trials.
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Data Sources And Search Strategy
We searched MEDLINE from April 2008 to May 2018. We examined reference lists of all eligible studies and reviews in the field for further possible titles the process was repeated until no new titles were found.
For the search strategy we used the following terms: preclinical OR asymptomatic OR pre-MCI OR preMCI OR pre MCI OR cognitively normal OR normal aging OR subjective memory complaint* OR subjective memory impairment OR subjective cognitive complaint* OR subjective cognitive impairment OR subjective cognitive decline OR memory complaint* OR cognitive complaint* OR subjective cognitive OR subjective memory OR SCD OR subtle cognitive decline OR early diagnosis OR Stage AND Alzheimer* AND biomarker OR abeta OR amyloid-beta OR amyloid OR tau OR t-tau OR p-tau OR total tau OR phospho-tau OR phosphorylated tau OR hyperphosphorylated tau OR PET OR positron emission tomography OR CSF OR cerebrospinal fluid OR amyloid PET.
Support For Family And Friends
Currently, many people living with Alzheimers disease are cared for at home by family members. Caregiving can have positive aspects for the caregiver as well as the person being cared for. It may bring personal fulfillment to the caregiver, such as satisfaction from helping a family member or friend, and lead to the development of new skills and improved family relationships.
Although most people willingly provide care to their loved ones and friends, caring for a person with Alzheimers disease at home can be a difficult task and may become overwhelming at times. Each day brings new challenges as the caregiver copes with changing levels of ability and new patterns of behavior. As the disease gets worse, people living with Alzheimers disease often need more intensive care.
You can find more information about caring for yourself and access a helpful care planning form.
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Descriptive Epidemiology Of Alzheimers Disease
The number of dementia patients is projected to reach 152 million by mid-century worldwide, with the greatest increase expected in low-and middle-income countries . According to 2020 Alzheimers disease facts and figures, the number of AD patients might increase greatly from 5.8 million to 13.8 million by 2050 in America . The obviously increased AD prevalence was found in community-dwelling investigations of Japan and China over the last few decades . Particularly, age-specific global prevalence in women was 1.17 times larger than in men and the age-standardized mortality rate of women was also higher than men, suggesting the longer lifespan was not the only determinant of the women dominance . In addition, death tolls with AD increased 146.2% from 2000 to 2018 and AD became the fifth-largest cause of death in American old people . Notably, caregivers would experience more mental stresses and negative emotional influences . Therefore, the social and family burden of caring for AD population will be huge and unsustainable.
Risk Factors And Prevention
Although age is the strongest known risk factor for dementia, it is not an inevitable consequence of biological ageing. Further, dementia does not exclusively affect older people young onset dementia accounts for up to 9% of cases. Studies show that people can reduce their risk of cognitive decline and dementia by being physically active, not smoking, avoiding harmful use of alcohol,controlling their weight, eating a healthy diet, and maintaining healthy blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Additional risk factors include depression, social isolation, low educational attainment, cognitive inactivity and air pollution.
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Diagnostic Criteria For Ad
Within community settings, DSMIV criteria147 produced a statistically significant higher estimate for AD dementia point prevalence than those based on NINCDSADRDA criteria for probable ADReference McKhann, Drachman, Folstein, Katzman, Price and Stadlan148 . No statistically significant differences between the aforementioned criteria were seen for period prevalence in the community , though the association was in the same direction as seen in the pooled point prevalence. All incidence studies used NINCDSADRDA criteria for probable AD.
What Are The Warning Signs Of Alzheimers Disease
Watch this video Memory Loss is Not a Normal Part of Aging
Alzheimers disease is not a normal part of aging. Memory problems are typically one of the first warning signs of Alzheimers disease and related dementias.
In addition to memory problems, someone with symptoms of Alzheimers disease may experience one or more of the following:
- Memory loss that disrupts daily life, such as getting lost in a familiar place or repeating questions.
- Trouble handling money and paying bills.
- Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure.
- Misplacing things and being unable to retrace steps to find them.
- Changes in mood, personality, or behavior.
Even if you or someone you know has several or even most of these signs, it doesnt mean its Alzheimers disease. Know the 10 warning signs .
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How Alzheimer’s Disease Is Treated
There’s currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but medicines are available that can help relieve some of the symptoms.
Various other types of support are also available to help people with Alzheimer’s live as independently as possible, such as making changes to your home environment so it’s easier to move around and remember daily tasks.
Psychological treatments such as cognitive stimulation therapy may also be offered to help support your memory, problem solving skills and language ability.
Read more about treating Alzheimer’s disease.
How Is Alzheimers Disease Treated
Alzheimers is complex, and it is therefore unlikely that any one drug or other intervention will successfully treat it in all people living with the disease.
Scientists are exploring many avenues to delay or prevent the disease as well as to treat its symptoms. In ongoing clinical trials, scientists are developing and testing several possible interventions. Under study are drug therapies aimed at a variety of disease interventions, as well as nondrug approaches such as physical activity, diet, cognitive training, and combinations of these. Just as we have many treatments for heart disease and cancer, we will likely need many options for treating Alzheimers. Precision medicine getting the right treatment to the right person at the right time will likely play a major role.
Current approaches to treating Alzheimers focus on helping people maintain mental function, treating the underlying disease process, and managing behavioral symptoms.
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Prevalence Of Ad And Pd By Year In Individuals Over 60 Years Old
The pooled prevalence rates of AD in 19972001, 20022006, 20072011, 20122016, and 20172018 were 1.68, 1.90, 3.65, 4.16, and 3.96%, respectively, with a significant increase in 20072011 and 20122016 compared to its respective previous period. The pooled prevalence rates of PD in 19851999, 20002014 and 20152018 were 0.94, 1.14, and 2.04%, respectively, with a significant increase in the latter two periods compared to its respective previous period .
Based on the yearly pooled prevalence of AD from 1997 to 2018 in China, a model was identified as the best fitting specification . The rate of AD showed a slightly increasing trend with no seasonal variation, and was predicted to be 3.81% , 5.24% , 5.35% , 4.84% , and 6.17% for the next 5 years from 2019 to 2023 . PD was not analyzed due to insufficient data.
Figure 3. Prediction of AD prevalence in Chinese over 60 years old in the next 5 years. AD, Alzheimer’s disease.
Prevalence Of Ad And Pd By Gender And Education
The prevalence rates of AD and PD for men were 2.30% and 1.20% , respectively and for women were 4.17% and 0.87% , respectively. A significant difference was found between the genders for both AD and PD .
Table 2. Effect of gender, education and setting on AD and PD prevalence.
In the context of education, the prevalence of AD was 5.39% for the illiterate and 1.92% for the non-illiterate. The education showed a significant impact on the prevalence rate . PD was not analyzed due to insufficient data.
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Alzheimers In The United States
- Alzheimers is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States.
- Alzheimers is the only disease in the 10 leading causes of deaths in the United States that cannot be cured, prevented or slowed.
- 1 in 10 Americans over the age of 65 has Alzheimers.
- Between 2017 and 2025 every state is expected to see at least a 14% rise in the prevalence of Alzheimers.
- There was an 89% increase in deaths due to Alzheimers between 2000 and 2014.
- More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimers.
- By 2050, its estimated there will be as many as 16 million Americans living with Alzheimers.
- Every 66 seconds someone in the United States develops Alzheimers.
- 1 in 3 seniors dies with some form of dementia.
- When the first wave of baby boomers reaches age 85 , it is projected that more than 3 million people age 85 and older will have Alzheimers.
- One-third of Americans over age 85 are afflicted with the illness.
- Typical life expectancy after an Alzheimers diagnosis is 4-to-8 years.
- By 2050, there could be as many as 7 million people age 85 and older with Alzheimers disease, accounting for half of all people 65 and older with Alzheimers.
- Proportion of People With Alzheimers Disease in the United States by Age: 85+ years 38%, 75-84 years, 44%, 65-74 years, 15%, < 65 years, 4%
Alzheimer’s Society’s View On Demography Alzheimer’s Society’s View On Demography
The number of people with dementia is steadily increasing. We believe that careful planning is needed.
Alzheimer’s Society believes that careful planning for the future is needed now to ensure that the right care and support is available.
The report, Projections of older people with dementia and costs of dementia care in the United Kingdom, 2019-2040 , provides the most up-to-date evaluation of the numbers of people with dementia in the UK, projections on numbers of people in the future and the prevalence of dementia.
This research was conducted by the Care Policy and Evaluation Centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science on behalf of Alzheimers Society.
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Common Forms Of Dementia
There are many different forms of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form and may contribute to 60-70% of cases. Other major forms include vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies , and a group of diseases that contribute to frontotemporal dementia . Dementia may also develop after a stroke or in the context of certain infections such as HIV, harmful use of alcohol, repetitivephysical injuries to the brain or nutritional deficiencies. The boundaries between different forms of dementia are indistinct and mixed forms often co-exist.
Q: Has Alzheimers Become More Prevalent In Recent Years
A: Since its discovery in 1906,Alzheimers diseaseA degenerative brain disease and the most common form of dementia.1 has become increasingly prevalent among adults in the United States. Today, the CDC estimates that 5.4 million people in the US have Alzheimers disease.69 Meanwhile, a report from the Alzheimers Association estimates that 6.5 million adults over the age of 65 have AD in the United States and reports that each year, 100,000 people develop AD.70 Some studies estimate that by 2050, 14 million people will have AD.71, 72, 73 Because research methods to identify and diagnose AD is improving, Alzheimers disease most likely will continually become more prevalent in the future.
Alzheimers diseaseA degenerative brain disease and the most common form of dementia.1 is currently the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and is the fifth-leading cause of death for those ages 65 and older,74 killing more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined each year.75 By 2040, approximately one in five Americans will be age 65 or older, rising from one in eight in 2000.76 Current projections estimate that in 2050, 1.6 million people in the US could die due to AD, a number that is nearly triple the number of recorded AD deaths in 2010.77, 78
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A Previous Study Showed That 70 Percent Of Persons With Dementia In China Has Alzheimers Disease
In total, the prevalence and death rate of ADRD were slightly higher than the global levels, and the data reflected higher rates for women than those for men. By gender, the prevalence rate and the death rate of females were respectively higher than the prevalence rate and death rate of males. Interestingly, a pilot study in Shanghai using hospital-based samples reported a similar survival trend of patients with AD compared with that of the general population. Poor cognitive status and comorbid diabetes had a negative impact on the survival of patients with AD, and a noteworthy association between AD and specific types of cancer was observed in China.
In 2019, the top five causes of death in China were cerebrovascular diseases, ischemic heart diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, lung cancer and AD, respectively. In the past 30 years, the ranking of AD deaths in China rose from 10th in 1990 to 5th in 2019. The disease burden of ADRD in China from 1990 to 2019 rose from 27th to 15th.
In 2019, deaths due to ADRD worldwide reached 1,623,276. China contributed 320,715 deaths or 19.8 percent of the world total. ADRD prevalence worldwide compared with that in China.
In 2019, there were 51,624,193 individuals with ADRD in the world. In China, the number of patients with ADRD was 13,143,950, accounting for about 25.5 percent of global prevalence.
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