Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia or memory loss that is serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 50 percent to 80 percent of dementia cases. There are more than 5.3 million people in the United States with the disease. Alzheimer’s Disease International estimates there are 35.6 million people living with dementia worldwide. Total estimated worldwide costs of dementia were $604 billion in 2010.

Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over the years. It’s the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Those with Alzheimer’s live an average of eight years after their symptoms begin, but survival can range from four to 20 years. Alzheimer’s is fatal and currently has no cure. Available drugs only marginally affect disease severity.
(SOURCE: Alzheimer’s Association)

RISK FACTORS: The most important risk factors are age (most individuals with Alzheimer’s are over 65), family history and heredity. Scientists know genes are involved in Alzheimer’s. Genetic tests are available for both APOE e4 and the rare genes that directly cause Alzheimer’s. Still, health professionals do not routinely recommend genetic testing for Alzheimer’s.
(SOURCE: Alzheimer’s Association)

MAPPING ALL ALZHEIMER’S GENES: There is now a global collaboration to discover and map all genes relating to Alzheimer’s disease. The collaborative effort is known as the International Genomics of Alzheimer’s Project (IGAP) and will combine the knowledge, staff and resources of four consortia that work on Alzheimer’s disease genes:

• Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics Consortium (ADGC) from the United States
• European Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative (EADI) in France
• Genetic and Environmental Risk in Alzheimer’s Disease (GERAD) from the United Kingdom
• Neurology subgroup of the Cohorts for Heart and Aging in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE)

IGAP researchers will compare the genetic information of more than 20,000 Alzheimer’s patients with 20,000 healthy elderly subjects. As the study progresses, 10,000 additional people with Alzheimer’s and 10,000 healthy elderly subjects will be added to the study.