This trend is not our friend; Alzheimer's disease now a top killer

As the baby boomer generation ages, Alzheimer's disease is emerging as a leading cause of death. In Los Angeles, Alzheimer's disease is now the eight-leading cause of death, ahead of breast cancer and HIV/AIDS.

The death rate from Alzheimer's jumped 220% — or from 5 to 16 deaths out of every 100,000 people — from 1994 to 2003, according to a new county Department of Public Health mortality report.

The increase is attributed in part to changes in reporting and better diagnosis of the disease. But health experts say it is clear that an expanding senior population — one in which people are living longer than ever before — is closely linked to the growing number of people afflicted with the brain disorder.

"As our population ages, the chance of having Alzheimer's goes up," said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, the county's director of public health. At age 65, a person has a one in 10 chance of contracting the disease; by 85, those chances increase to one in two, experts say.

Dr. George Bartzokis, a neurologist and director of the UCLA Memory Disorders Clinic, noted that without better treatment or a cure "the number of people with Alzheimer's in the United States could triple to about 12 million to 13 million people by 2040, costing $300 billion a year. By itself, Alzheimer's will bankrupt Medicare unless we do something about treatment and prevention."

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