Women face a 1 in 6 chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease at age 65, a much greater risk than that faced by men, according to an annual report by the Alzheimer’s Association.
The chance of a man getting the disease, which causes dementia and eventually leads to death, is 1 in 11, said the report, “2014 Alzheimer’s Diseases Facts and Figures.”
The chance of getting Alzheimer’s at 85 rises to 1 in 5 women and 1 in 8 men.
Women also make up most of the caregivers for those with Alzheimer’s, with 2.5 times as many women providing 24-hour care as men, the report said.
Among caregivers who report feeling isolation because of their task, 17 percent of women said it caused them to feel depressed compared to 2 percent of men.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the human toll of the disease is expected to grow as the Baby Boomers age.
Between 2010 and 2050, the report said the number of people 65 and older with Alzheimer’s is expected to grow 176 percent, to 13.8 million.