It affects nearly 5 million Americans and is the most common form of dementing illness. More than 100,000 die of Alzheimer's disease annually. Alois Alzheimer first described the disease in 1907.
AD knows no social or economic boundaries and affects men and women almost equally.
By the year 2050, an estimated 14 million will have the disease, if no prevention or cure is found. Ten Warning Signs 1 . Recent memory loss that affects job performance. Everyone forgets things temporarily - a name, a phone number. Those with Alzheimer's disease may forget often, never recall and repeatedly ask the same question, forgetting it has been answered.