Currently, at least 5.2 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's, including 200,000 to 250,000 people under age 65. It is estimated that there will be 500,000 new cases of the mind-wasting disease each year by 2010, and nearly one million new cases annually by 2050, the report estimates.
Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder that destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. Alzheimer's gets worse over time, and it is fatal. Today it is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States. Women are at greater risk than men.
The overall prediction for this disease is 10 million that translates to 1 out of every 8 boomers and the age of highest risk for Alzheimer's starts at 65. Experts predict that the disease will have a huge impact on baby boomers' lives, their families, and the nation's health-care system.
People with Alzheimer's live an average of eight years; they can live more than 20 years, placing an additional strain on the health-care system.
