Epidemiology

Population data from 2005 indicate that 380,000 people have Alzheimer's disease in England and Wales (1).

• UK incidence of Alzheimer's disease in people over the age of 65 years is estimated to be 4.9 per 1000 person-years.
• Incidence rate appears to have been stable over the past two decades and is found to be related to age (rising with increasing age) and gender (women have a higher risk than men).
• Between 50 and 64% of people with Alzheimer's disease are estimated to have mild to moderately severe disease, and approximately 50% have moderately severe to severe disease.

An autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance occurs in only 5-10% of cases.

Alzheimer's disease accounts for approximately half of all cases of dementia.

In 2013, there were approximately 815,000 living with dementia in the UK. If current trends continue, it is expected to increase to 1,143,000 by 2025 (2).

• In England, approximately 31,000 people were diagnosed with dementia in 2011, an 8% increase from 2006.
• In 2017, there were 456,739 people on GP registers with formal diagnosis dementia, an increase from 290,000 in 2009/10
  • majority of this difference accounted for by an increase in diagnosis rates.

Reference:

• (1) NICE (March 2011). Donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine and memantine for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (accessed 15 March 2022).
• (2) NICE (June 2018). Dementia: assessment, management and support for people living with dementia and their carers (accessed 15 March 2022).