Although Alzheimer’s disease (AD) can been seen in patients as young as 30 years old, it is mostly a disease of late life, with onset after the age of 60 years. The prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease approximately doubles every 5 years after 60 years of age, reaching 30-45% prevalence in the over-age-85 population.

Currently in the U.S., about 4 million people are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The disease’s progression is slow and continuous, with an average life expectancy of 8 to 10 years after disease onset. With the aging population of the United States, the number of Alzheimer’s cases is expected to grow to 14 million by the year 2040.