Alzheimer’s disease to grow

As the population of baby boomers grows, public health experts believe the number of people with Alzheimer‘s disease also will grow.

The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that the state had 17,000 Alzheimer’s cases in 2000. The organization projects that number to be 21,000 by 2025, an increase of 24 percent.

The disease, which most often strikes the elderly, is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States.

By 2050, the Alzheimer’s Association predicts about 14 million people in the nation will be living with the illness.

Alzheimer’s is a progressive brain disease that impairs memory and other cognitive functions.