Washington - A projected 5.2 million people in the US have Alzheimer’s disease and it might affect 1 out of 8 baby boomers, the Alzheimer’s Association reported on Tuesday.
The study found out that there were about 411,000 new cases of the disease in the year 2000 and the figure is expected to rise about 454,000 new cases every year by 2010.

The report predicts that by 2050, around 959,000 persons will be identified with the disease every year.The report says that 14 % (which includes16 % of women and 11 % of men) of the people in the age group of 71 and above have dementia.

The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease and it accounts for around 60 to 80 % of the cases.The disease begins with mild loss of memory and confusion but turns into total memory loss and inability to care for oneself. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. A few drugs that are used to treat Alzheimer’s disease can only slow down its advancement for a short time. (more…)