Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia experienced by Americans, so common that 1 in 9 Americans over 65 years of age currently has Alzheimer's disease. Millions of Americans have some form of dementia and approximately 60-80% of all dementia cases are Alzheimer's, and half of those cases are exclusively Alzheimer's disease.
There was an estimated 5.2 million Americans with Alzheimer's disease in 2014: 5 million people age 65 or older, and around 200,000 people under that age limit with younger-onset Alzheimer's. That being said, only half to the people estimated to have Alzheimer's actually get diagnosed with it, meaning that 2.6 million Americans may not even know they have it.
According to the Alzheimer's Association:
"The number of Americans with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias will grow each year as the size and proportion of the U.S. population age 65 and older continue to increase. The number will escalate rapidly in coming years as the baby boom generation ages."
That's a pretty scary thought actually. Especially considering the lack of any cure or effective treatment.
Source:
2014 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures. (2014). Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 10(2), 6, 16-6, 16. Retrieved January 12, 2015, from http://www.alz.org/downloads/Facts_Figures_2014.pdf
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