Alzheimer's disease facts

• Over 26.6 million people worldwide are believed to suffer with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
• This incurable, degenerative, and terminal disease was first described by German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906 and was named after him.
• As the disease advances, symptoms include confusion, irritability and aggression, mood swings, language breakdown, long-term memory loss, and the general withdrawal of the sufferer as their senses decline.
• When Alzheimer's disease is suspected, the diagnosis is usually confirmed with behavioural assessments and cognitive tests, often followed by a brain scan if available.
• A biopsy of the brain after death is the only definite diagnosis of AD.
• Alzheimer's is predicted to affect 1 in 85 people globally by 2050.
• The risk of developing Alzheimer’s grows with old-age, doubling every 5 years beyond the age of 65.
• The mean life expectancy following diagnosis of AD is approximately 7 years.
• AD is more common in women due to the fact women live longer than men.
• Fewer than 3% of individuals live more than fourteen years after diagnosis.
• Rare hereditary forms of Alzheimer’s disease can strike people in their 30s and 40s.
• Because Alzheimer's disease cannot be cured and is degenerative, management of patients is essential.
• AD is the most common form of Dementia, affecting 75 percent of all cases.
• In developed countries, Alzheimer's disease is one of the most costly diseases to society.