Aug. 29--BOONEVILLE -- Some 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer's -- a brain-damaging disease that gradually robs its victims of mental and physical acuity.
Unless dramatic medical breakthroughs provide cures or preventives, 7.7 million are expected to have the disease by 2030, when all baby boomers will be at least 66 years old.
Alzheimer's -- the most common of several related dementias -- costs the nation an estimated $172 billion each year, and it is the seventh-leading cause of death for Americans -- the fourth for those over age 65.
Two Faces of Alzheimer’s