02-05-2025
Alzheimer's affects 7.2M in US, up by 300,000 cases: Report
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new report from the Alzheimer's Association shows an increase of 300,000 cases nationally over the last year.
'So the high is now 7.2 million Americans, and right alongside them now are 12 million friends and family members acting as caregivers,' said Alzheimer's Association Executive Director Dr. Elizabeth Edgerly.
The '2025 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures Report' also found that Alzheimer's is a major problem in Texas.
'The number this year was 460,000 and you have more than a million caregivers, friends and families supporting those individuals, you're at almost 1.5 million people impacted,' Edgerly said.
Recognizing dementia, Alzheimer's signs in loved ones
The report states that people are interested in doing what they can to slow the progression of the disease.
'We saw a major shift in attitudes this last year. What we heard loud and clear is that Americans are interested in a simple test, like a blood test for Alzheimer's,' Edgerly said. 'They want to find out early, ideally while symptoms are mild or even before symptoms occur, because they want to access treatments.'
Related: Researchers find a hint at how to delay Alzheimer's symptoms. Now they have to prove it
'Currently, there are blood tests, but they're only used in research settings and in some specialty clinics. But we believe that that's going to change in the next year, or two years, more people will have access to blood tests, and they're ready for it already.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
