10 million boomers at risk of Alzheimer's

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WASHINGTON, March 18 (UPI) -- An estimated 10 million baby boomers in the United States will develop Alzheimer's disease, the Alzheimer's Association said Tuesday.

The organization said the debilitating brain disorder is now is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States and the fifth-leading cause of death for those over age 65.

"The information in the 2008 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures makes it clear the Alzheimer crisis cannot be ignored -- not when 10 million baby boomers are at risk for developing this fatal disease," Harry Johns, the association's president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. "Unchecked, this disease will impose staggering consequences on families, the economy and the nation's health and long-term care infrastructure."

As many as 5.2 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer's disease or other dementia. The report said experts predict by 2010, there will be almost a half-million new cases of Alzheimer's disease each year and almost a million new cases a year by 2050.