2022 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Annual statistical compilation and narrative report synthesizing surveillance data, claims, and surveys without a direct clinical trial or single cohort design.
PubMed 35289055 · doi:10.1002/alz.12638
What was done
The Alzheimer's Association synthesized national public health surveillance data, vital statistics registries, Medicare/Medicaid claims, and a commissioned survey of consumers and primary care physicians to evaluate the prevalence, mortality, caregiving burden, healthcare costs, and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) awareness regarding Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the United States.
What was found
An estimated 6.5 million Americans aged 65 and older had Alzheimer's dementia in 2022 (projected to reach 13.8 million by 2060). In 2019, 121,499 deaths were officially attributed to AD (a >145% increase since 2000), making it the sixth-leading cause of death in 2019 and seventh in 2020–2021. More than 11 million unpaid caregivers provided an estimated 16 billion hours of care in 2021, valued at $271.6 billion. Total healthcare and long-term care payments for dementia in 2022 were estimated at $321 billion, with per-person Medicare payments nearly three times and Medicaid payments over 22 times higher than for peers without dementia. Surveys showed low consumer MCI awareness and physician diagnostic challenges.
Why it matters
This report provides national benchmark statistics on the health, societal, and economic burden of Alzheimer's disease to inform public health planning and clinical priorities.
Limits
The reported figures rely on population modeling, administrative claims, and death certificate records which are subject to coding inaccuracies and misclassification. Specific sample sizes and survey methodologies were not reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Among people aged 65 and older, 1 in 9 (or 11%) have dementia.