Report: Alzheimer’s to Triple by 2050

The number of people with Alzheimer’s disease will nearly triple in the next 40 years, a new report predicts. The study estimates that there will be 13.8 million people with the disease by 2050. Nearly 5 million Americans are affected now. The U.S. government and the Alzheimer’s Association funded the study. A future study will estimate the health care costs. The Alzheimer’s Association predicts they will rise to more than $2 trillion. The new study is based on information from 10,802 Chicago residents. All were ages 65 or older when the study began. Researchers kept track of them up to 18 years. They were assessed for dementia every 3 years. The estimates also include data from the 2010 census. Much of the increase in Alzheimer’s is tied to the aging of the huge baby boomer generation. The census estimated that the population of people 65 and older will more than double by 2050.