Degenerative Disease in Profile
BY STEVE BARRETT
DEGENERATIVE CONDITIONS BURDEN MILLIONS
OF AMERICANS PHYSICALLY, FINANCIALLY AND
EMOTIONALLY. THESE NUMBERS HELP TELL THE STORY.
At Risk
About 200,000 Americans are at risk of inherit-
ing Huntington's disease, and roughly 30,000 are
symptomatic. Symptoms can appear before
age 20 but more commonly surface after age 30.
A Dementia
Divide
A 65-year-old American
man has approximately
a 12% risk of developing
Alzheimer's disease,
compared with a 21% risk
for a woman the same age.
COSTLY CARE
A study by the Muscular Dystrophy Association and
the Lewin Group revealed staggering costs associated
with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Duchenne
muscular dystrophy (DMD) and myotonic dystrophy
(DM). The numbers include annual per-patient medical
and nonmedical costs, as well as lost income.
ALZHEIMER'S THROUGH THE AGES
While 1 in 10 Americans 65 or older has
A lzheimer's disease, preva lence for the
condition is not evenly distributed within
that age group.
AGES
65–74
3%
AGES
75–84
17%
AGES 85
OR OLDER
32%
ALS
$64,000
DMD
$51,000
DM
$32,000
$
0
$
20K
$
40K
$
60K
OSTEOARTHRITIS' SWEEPING TOLL
More than 30 million American adults
have osteoarthritis (OA).
Half of U.S. adults
have symptoms
of knee OA at
some point.
One-fourth
have symptoms
of hip OA by
age 85.
200,000
Americans
12%
21%
Sources: CDC, Arthritis Foundation, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Huntington's Disease Society of America, Mayo Clinic, Alzheimer's Association
2 2❱❱❱❱❱ D A TA V A U LT
