In a study published today in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, UCI MIND faculty members Drs. Claudia Kawas and Maria Corrada, and colleagues at UCLA, reported the first estimates of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) prevalence in the United States. According to the study, 2.4 million Americans are living with MCI due to AD (memory and other cognitive problems that do not meet criteria for dementia), and this number is expected to more than double by 2060.
Moreover, the researchers estimated about 47 million Americans have preclinical AD, the presence of amyloid accumulation and/or neurodegeneration with no symptoms of memory problems. In the press release, Dr. Ron Brookmeyer of UCLA notes, “many of them will not progress to Alzheimer’s dementia in their lifetimes. We need to have improved methods to identify which persons will progress to clinical symptoms, and develop interventions for them that could slow the progression of the disease, if not stop it all together.”
Though these are only estimates and may not represent all demographics, the report provides increased understanding of the public health impact of Alzheimer’s disease and the potential for preventive or disease-delaying treatments to alleviate this impact once discovered. Read more about the study at Alzheimer’s New Today >
