Heads Up for Healthier Brains Media Kit

Jan. 2, 2008

For more information:
Patricia Wilkinson
Manager, Media Relations and Communications
1-800-616-8816, or (416)847-2959
PWilkinson@alzheimer.ca

Alzheimer's Disease Fact Sheet

• Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease that destroys vital brain cells. It is not a normal part of aging.

• The disease appears to be caused when the combined effects of many risk factors, including age, genetics, lifestyle and environmental factors, overwhelm the natural self-repair and self-healing mechanisms in the brain.

• The symptoms of Alzheimer's disease include a gradual onset and continuing decline of memory, changes in judgment or reasoning, and an inability to perform familiar tasks.

• Alzheimer's disease eventually affects all aspects of a person's life, including how they think, feel, act and react to their environment.

• Presently there is no known cure for this disease.

• Medications are available to treat some of the symptoms in some people.

• A number of drugs that directly oppose the disease process are already in promising clinical trials.

• There are two forms of Alzheimer's disease: Familial Autosomal Dominant (FAD), a rare inherited form of the disease (five to seven per cent of the Alzheimer population), and the much more common sporadic or late onset, (meaning the disease has no specific family link).

• Alzheimer's disease can strike adults at any age, but occurs most commonly in people over 65. However,
  due to enhanced diagnostic tools and other influences,
  an increasing number of people are being diagnosed in
  their 50s and early 60s.

• Alzheimer's disease is the second most feared disease for Canadians as they age.²

• More women are affected by the disease than men:
  women account for over 2/3 of all those over 65 with
  the disease.¹ Most caregivers are also women.

What the Numbers Say

• An estimated 300,000 Canadians over 65 have Alzheimer's disease.^{1 *}

• 36 per cent of Canadians know someone with
  Alzheimer's disease.²

• 17 per cent of Canadians have someone with
  Alzheimer's disease in their family.²

Dispelling the Myths

• While the general public remains widely uncertain if aluminum causes Alzheimer's disease, extensive research has failed to find evidence that shows a conclusive link.

• Although genetics play a role in the disease, only a small percentage of cases derive from genes that cause the inherited form of Alzheimer's disease.

• Currently there is no way to prevent Alzheimer's disease, although there is growing evidence that there are things people can do that may help reduce their risk. This includes staying socially and mentally active, adopting a healthy lifestyle and protecting the head from injury.

• Research is also showing that many of these same activities can help improve quality of life for people already living with Alzheimer's disease, and might even help to slow its progression.

Fighting Back

• Earlier diagnosis, more treatment options and a better understanding of the disease itself are changing the lives of people with Alzheimer's disease.

• Many people continue to have active and meaningful lives long after diagnosis.

• People living with the disease are important advocates for the Alzheimer Society, helping to raise awareness, as well as speaking out about their needs for care and treatment.

Alzheimer's and Related Diseases

• Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, accounts for approximately 64 per cent of all dementias in Canada.

• Other related diseases include Vascular Dementia, Frontotemporal Dementia, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and Lewy body Dementia.

• While each of the related diseases has unique aspects, symptoms include loss of memory, judgment and reasoning, and changes in mood, behaviour and communication abilities.

Time to Act

• Unless a cure can be found, the number of people
  with Alzheimer's or a related disease will double within the next generation, and cost Canadians many billions of dollars annually.

• Over the next 25 years, Alzheimer's and related diseases may prove to have the highest economic, social and health cost burden of all diseases in Canada.

• The need for a federally-funded Canadian Dementia Management Strategy has never been more urgent.

What the Numbers Say

In Canada

• An estimated 450,000 Canadians over 65 have Alzheimer's or a related disease.^{1 *}

• An estimated 97,000 Canadians will develop Alzheimer's or a related disease in 2008.^{3 *}

• 1 in 13 Canadians over the age of 65 currently has Alzheimer's or a related disease.¹

• 1 in 3 Canadians over the age of 85 has Alzheimer's or a related disease.¹

World-wide

• Currently, there are more than 24 million people in the world with Alzheimer's or a related disease – this is estimated to rise to 81 million by the year 2040.⁴

• The total worldwide cost of dementia care is estimated to be US$315 billion annually.⁴

Footnotes:

1. Canadian Study of Health and Aging Working Group: Canadian Study of Health and Aging: study methods and prevalence of dementia. Can Med Assoc J 1994; 150: 899-913. And personal communication, 2004. (Note: The CSHA only surveyed people over the age of 65.)
2. Alzheimer Society "Brain Health" Public Opinion Poll, Leger Marketing, 2006.
3. These estimates are extrapolated from 1996 incidence data. Canadian Study of Health and Aging Working Group: The Incidence of Dementia in Canada. Neurology 2000; 55: 66-73. And personal communication, November 2004, CSHA.
4. Alzheimer's Disease International:
   www.alz.co.uk/media/dementia.html

* Understanding that the prevalence and economic figures dealing with dementia in Canada are now more than 10 years old, the Alzheimer Society has commissioned an independent study looking at the current and future impact of Alzheimer's and related diseases in this country. This study is currently underway, and is expected to be released in 2008.

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