Epidemiology

AD is the most common form of dementia.

The number of people living with dementia worldwide more than doubled from 20.2 million in 1990 to 43.8 million in 2016.[5] This increase was caused mainly by increases in population aging and growth. The World Health Organization predicts that the total number of people with dementia will reach 82 million by 2030 and 152 million by 2050.[6] The estimated proportion of the general population ages 60 years and over with dementia at a given time is between 5% and 8%.[6]

In the US, AD accounts for approximately 60% to 70% of dementia cases. It affects around 5% of the population below the age of 70 years; prevalence increases to 30% in people over 80 years. There are currently an estimated 5.8 million people in the US with AD, and this is projected to increase to an estimated 14 million by 2050.[7][8][9][10]

The prevalence of AD in Europe has been estimated to be around 5%, with an incidence of 11.08 per 1000 person-years (95% CI 10.30 to 11.89); both increase with age.[11]

AD occurs more commonly in women than in men.[5][11] Prevalence of dementia is higher in black and Hispanic people than in white people.[12][13]

Early onset AD (age <60 years) is often inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern and accounts for <1% of cases.

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