Long-forecast dementia epidemic has begun; What you can do to reduce your Alzheimer's risk

"It is estimated that someone in America develops Alzheimer’s every 72 seconds; by mid-century someone will develop Alzheimer’s every 33 seconds."

A new report shows that more than 5 million Americans are now suffering from Alzheimer's disease. This is a 10 percent from five years ago and supports the long-forecast dementia epidemic as the baby boomer generation hits the high-risk years.

One in eight people 65 and older have the mind-destroying illness, and nearly one in two people over 85. Barring the development of a cure, 7.7 million people are expected to have the disease by 2030 and 16 million by 2050 (more than the current total population of New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston combined).

The epidemic is a combination of the baby bubble and, ironically, the success that modern medicine has had in fighting other diseases such as heart disease and cancer. An Alzheimer's Association VP stated that "we're keeping people alive so they can live long enough to get Alzheimer's disease."

Recent government figures show small drops in deaths from most of the nation's leading killers while deaths attributed to Alzheimer's disease increased 33 percent.

"Early-Onset" Alzheimer's Also a Problem:

Between 200,000 and half a million people under age 65 have either early-onset Alzheimer's or another form of dementia. Researchers have been hard-pressed to estimate of the number of young sufferers.

"I think this has been drastically underreported," said Dr. Bill Thies, the Alzheimer's Association's medical director.

Causes Unknown:

There is no known cure for Alzheimer's. The disease causes gradual brain degeneration leading to losing the ability to remember and care for themselves, eventually killing them.

Medicare spends nearly three times as much for dementia patients' care as for the average beneficiary--$13,207 a year vs. $4,454. Medicare's spending on dementia-related care is projected to double to more than $189 million by 2015. If you factor in the unpaid round-the-clock care that families and friends provide the vast majority of Alzheimer's patients the costs spiral to $83 billion. [The Alzheimer's Association estimates that the "direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer’s and other dementias amount to more than $148 billion annually, which is more than the annual sales of any retailer in the world excluding Wal-Mart."]

Today's drugs only temporarily alleviate symptoms. The "good" news so to speak is that if a drug is developed that delays Alzheimer's symptoms even a few years it could reduce the Alzheimer's toll by millions. There are currently 9 drugs in late-stage clinical trials.

Lifestyle Plays a Role:

Age and genes are believed to be the primary determinants on whether one will develop Alzheimer's, but lifestyle and environmental factors can dramatically increase or decrease the risk. Read LifeTwo's Alzheimer's section for articles on Alzheimer's risk reduction.

Sources: WaPo and Alzheimer's Association