AMPA Monaco
Faire un don

Who is affected?

Contrary to popular belief, Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal consequence of aging, even though it mainly affects people over the age of 65. Although its prevalence increases significantly with age, Alzheimer’s disease can be detected before the age of 65, and in very rare cases, even before the age of 40. Age is a factor in terms of the duration of exposure to risk.

According to major international studies, Alzheimer’s disease affects approximately 0.5% of people under the age of 65 and between 2 and 4% more after the age of 65. Beyond the age of 80, this percentage rises to 15%.

The life expectancy of people with Alzheimer’s disease varies greatly and depends on multiple factors specific to each individual. On average, it is 8 to 12 years after the onset of the first symptoms.

We now know that the first lesions in the brain appear at least 10 to 15 years before the first symptoms.

Chiffres clés de la maladie d’Alzheimer et des démences dans le monde

Worldwide, it is estimated that in 2023–2024:

  • Approximately 55 to 57 million people will be living with dementia, with Alzheimer’s disease accounting for 60 to 70% of cases, making it the most common cause.
  • Nearly 10 million new cases are diagnosed each year, or one new person every 3 seconds.
  • The number of people affected is expected to almost double every 20 years, reaching around 78 million in 2030 and nearly 139 million in 2050.
  • This increase will be particularly marked in low- and middle-income countries (Asia, Africa, the Middle East, South America), due to aging populations and longer life expectancy.
  • Women are more frequently affected than men, particularly because they have a longer life expectancy.

(Sources: World Health Organization – WHO; Alzheimer’s Disease International – ADI)

Derrière chaque personne malade, c’est toute une famille qui est concernée par la maladie d’Alzheimer. Le conjoint ou l’enfant devient « l’aidant » familial et assume la prise en charge quotidienne et l’accompagnement de son proche. Accompagner et soutenir l’aidant est primordial pour éviter stress et épuisement.

NB : Ces données générales se basent sur des estimations de prévalence et d’incidence issues des principales études internationales.