Alzheimer’s Prevalence Tops 7 Million for the First Time

Neurology
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Alzheimer’s Disease

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Cases rise as Alzheimer’s research funds are halted

by
Judy George, Deputy Managing Editor, MedPage Today
April 29, 2025 • 3 min read

The number of people with Alzheimer’s dementia in the U.S. exceeded 7 million for the first time, new data from the Alzheimer’s Association showed.

An estimated 7.2 million Americans ages 65 and older now have Alzheimer’s dementia, up from 6.9 million last year, according to the 2025 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures Report. Nearly three-fourths (74%) of that group are 75 and older.

While prevalence studies of dementia in young people are limited, researchers estimated that approximately 110 of every 100,000 people ages 30 to 64 — or about 200,000 Americans in total — have young-onset dementia, the Alzheimer’s Association said.

The data were released with an accompanying special report that included a nationwide survey of 1,702 adults ages 45 and older.

The survey, based on a sample from the NORC AmeriSpeak Panel at the University of Chicago, showed that 83% of respondents had some level of worry about developing Alzheimer’s disease, with 12% expressing a lot of worry.

It also said four in five people (79%) would want to know whether they had Alzheimer’s disease before experiencing symptoms or before symptoms interfered with daily activities.

Most respondents said they would definitely or probably want a simple biomarker test — a blood test, for example — to detect Alzheimer’s disease if it were available: 91% would want testing before Alzheimer’s symptoms appear, and 95% would want testing when they experienced early symptoms.

Access to early treatment and care was the main reason people wanted a test. About 92% said they would want to take a medication that could slow the progression of the disease, and 58% said they would accept moderate to very high levels of risk with a medication that could slow Alzheimer’s progression in its early stages.

Respondents also expressed strong interest in other options to manage and treat Alzheimer’s disease, including medications that lessen symptoms (94%) and education and support for lifestyle changes (90%).

The survey results highlight the need to improve early detection and education, noted Elizabeth Edgerly, PhD, of the Alzheimer’s Association.

“The findings from our survey suggest most people want to be proactive in addressing their memory concerns, even if it might be Alzheimer’s,” Edgerly said. “That’s good news because early diagnosis offers the best opportunity for care, management, and treatment of the disease,” she told MedPage Today.

“If diagnosed, most people are open to new treatments that can slow the progression of the disease,” Edgerly added. “These findings represent a significant shift in people’s mindsets — even from what we saw just a few years ago — when many people were hesitant to know if they had the disease because little could be done to help them.”

The Alzheimer’s Association is preparing new guidelines on blood biomarker tests and cognitive assessment tools, both of which are anticipated later this year. In its revised criteria for Alzheimer’s diagnosis and staging, the Alzheimer’s Association workgroup reviewed current evidence about research and clinical care and did not support Alzheimer’s biomarker testing of asymptomatic people.

“As it says in the document: we emphasize that in the absence of approved interventions in asymptomatic individuals, we do not advocate routine diagnostic testing in this population,” Edgerly said. “This may change in the future. At present, we do not see how results of Alzheimer’s diagnostic testing in asymptomatic individuals would produce medically actionable information and therefore do not see a clinical rationale for biomarker testing in this population.”

Ethical concerns also need to be addressed to make sure patients understand that tests measure only potential risk and that formal diagnosis involves cognitive testing and other assessments, the Alzheimer’s Association noted.

The rise in Alzheimer’s cases comes as the Trump administration is cutting or delaying dementia research efforts.

NIH funding has been halted at 14 Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers, which study how Alzheimer’s and dementia evolve in different communities. Federal cutbacks also have eliminated positions at the NIH Intramural Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias.

The NIH also removed some scientific advisers who oversee research about dementia. Of the 495 clinical trials on Alzheimer’s and dementia supported by the National Institute on Aging, it’s not clear which will continue.

Judy George covers neurology and neuroscience news for MedPage Today, writing about brain aging, Alzheimer’s, dementia, MS, rare diseases, epilepsy, autism, headache, stroke, Parkinson’s, ALS, concussion, CTE, sleep, pain, and more. Follow