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Reconociendo los pacientes con enfermedad de Alzheimer: el test de los 7 minutos Alzheimer’s Disease is a Major Health Problem AD is a significant health problem in the United States that will have a growing impact as the population ages. AD affects approximately 4 million Americans today, and the number of cases is expected to rise to 7 million by 2010 and to 14 million by 2050. It is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States - after heart disease, cancer, and stroke- taking approximately 100,000 lives annually (Martin, Miller, Kapoor et al., 1987). The cost of caring for AD patients is estimated to be $100 billion annually in lost productivity, medical care, and personal caretaking. It is expected that each patient will incur $213,000 in direct and indirect costs over the course of the disease (Huang, Cartwright & Hu, 1987). Nursing home care accounts for the majority of this amount with over three-quarters of AD patients eventually reside in a nursing home at an average annual cost of $42,000 per year. It is the third most costly disease to treat following cancer and heart disease. The greatest risk factor for AD is increasing age. Approximately 10% of the United States population over the age of 65 is thought to have AD and this number increases to between 32 and 47% of those over 85 (Evans, Funkstein, Albert et al, 1989). Interestingly, the fastest growing segment of the United States population is over the age of 85.

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2003-09-04   |   788 visitas   |   Evalua este artículo 0 valoraciones

Vol. 25 Núm.3. Julio-Septiembre 2000 Pags. 113-120 Rev Neurol Arg 2000; 25(3)