Alzheimer's disease is soaring

Web MD - As more baby boomers age, deaths from Alzheimer's disease have jumped 55 percent, and in a quarter of those cases the heavy burden of caregiving has fallen on loved ones, U.S. health officials report.

"Alzheimer's disease is a public health problem that affects not only people with Alzheimer's disease, but also the people who provide care to them, which is often family members," said report author Christopher Taylor. He's an epidemiologist at the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

One Alzheimer's expert described the news as dire.

"This is an enormous problem that is only growing, it's only going to get worse -- we are staring at a tsunami of Alzheimer's disease," said Keith Fargo, director of scientific programs and outreach at the Alzheimer's Association.