Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) cause a high burden of morbidity and mortality in the US. This according to a recent study that estimated the future US burden of ADRD by age, sex, and race and ethnicity by applying subgroup-specific prevalence among Medicare Fee-for-Service beneficiaries aged ≥65 years in 2014 to subgroup-specific population estimates for 2014 and population projection data from the US Census Bureau for 2015 to 2060. Investigators found:

• The burden of ADRD in 2014 was an estimated 5 million adults aged ≥65 years or 1.6% of the population, and there are significant disparities in ADRD prevalence among population subgroups defined by race and ethnicity.
• ADRD burden will double to 3.3% by 2060 when 13.9 million Americans are projected to have the disease.