Jennifer Mendoza
Research expert covering health, pharma and medtech
Dementia and Alzheimer's disease in the United States - Statistics & Facts
It is estimated that men in the United States aged 65 years have a 19.5 percent chance of developing Alzheimer's disease during their lifetime, while the lifetime risk for women aged 65 years is 21.1 percent. In 2020, around 6.1 million people aged 65 years and older in the United States suffered from Alzheimer's disease, with this figure expected to grow to 8.5 million by the year 2030. The term dementia is used to describe not one specific disease but a wide range of symptoms. The most well-known and pronounced symptoms of dementia include memory loss and a decrease in the ability to think. Other symptoms include difficulties speaking or problems with language, emotional problems, visual problems, and a general decrease in the ability to reason, make judgements, focus, and pay attention. The most recognized and common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, which, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), accounts for between 60 and 80 percent of all dementia cases. Other forms of dementia include vascular dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).
