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2018 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures
Alzheimer's Association. Alzheimer s & Dementia, 2018-03-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Abstract This article describes the public health impact of Alzheimer's disease (AD), including incidence and prevalence, mortality and morbidity, costs of care, and the overall impact on caregivers and society. The Special Report examines the benefits of diagnosing Alzheimer's earlier in the disease process, in the stage of mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease. An estimated 5.7 million Americans have Alzheimer's dementia. By mid‐century, the number of people living with Alzheimer's dementia in the United States is projected to grow to 13.8 million, fueled in large part by the aging baby boom generation. In 2015, official death certificates recorded 110,561 deaths from AD, making AD the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and the fifth leading cause of death in Americans age ≥65 years. Between 2000 and 2015, deaths resulting from stroke, heart disease, and prostate cancer decreased, whereas deaths from AD increased 123%. In 2017, more than 16 million family members and other unpaid caregivers provided an estimated 18.4 billion hours of care to people with Alzheimer's or other dementias. This care is valued at more than $232 billion, but its costs extend to family caregivers' increased risk for emotional distress and negative mental and physical health outcomes. Average per‐person Medicare payments for services to beneficiaries age ≥65 years with Alzheimer's or other dementias are more than three times as great as payments for beneficiaries without these conditions, and Medicaid payments are more than 23 times as great. Total payments in 2018 for health care, long‐term care and hospice services for people age ≥65 years with dementia are estimated to be $277 billion. With the identification of AD biomarkers in recent years, our understanding of the disease has moved from one based on symptoms to one based on brain changes. Because these changes begin well before clinical symptoms arise, Alzheimer's has the potential to be diagnosed before the dementia stage. Early diagnosis of AD could have important personal and financial benefits. A mathematical model estimates that early and accurate diagnosis could save up to $7.9 trillion in medical and care costs.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Alzheimer's Association. (2018). 2018 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures. Alzheimer s & Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2018.02.001
Vancouver
Alzheimer's Association. 2018 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures. Alzheimer s & Dementia. 2018. doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2018.02.001.
BibTeX
@article{study2018-76a1e2fa,
author = {{Alzheimer's Association}},
title = {{2018 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures}},
journal = {Alzheimer s \& Dementia},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.1016/j.jalz.2018.02.001},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2018.02.001}
}
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Why it matters
This 2018 report estimates that 5.7 million Americans have Alzheimer's dementia and that deaths from Alzheimer's increased 123% between 2000 and 2015. Its special report looks at the benefits of diagnosing Alzheimer's earlier, at the stage of mild cognitive impairment.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Alzheimer's in numbers →
How this study scored 50/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on strength of evidence, senior author's track record and institution's track record, so those were left out: it earned 44 of the 88 points we could judge it on, which is 50 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer s & Dementia) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Alzheimer s & Dementia: journal h-index 228 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | — / 5 | No evidence rating recorded — left out of this score |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2018 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 7 / 7 | Cited 1,914 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 191.4 citations a year over 10 year(s) since 2018 |
| Impact for its field and year | 6 / 6 | Cited 223.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 4 / 4 | Cited 269 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 0 institution(s) in 0 countries — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 44 / 88 | Scored on 17 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 44 of the 88 points we could judge it on is 50 out of 100. |
| Total | 50 / 100 | — |
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