-- Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. -- 10 million American baby boomers will develop Alzheimer's. -- There are approximately 5.2 million Americans living with Alzheimer's today and that number is expected to increase to as many as 16 million by 2050. -- One out of eight people age 65 and older have Alzheimer's and nearly one out of every two over age 85 has it. -- Every 71 seconds, someone in America develops Alzheimer's disease; by mid-century someone will develop Alzheimer's every 33 seconds. -- Odds are you know or are caring for someone with Alzheimer's. There are almost 10 million caregivers in the US. -- Initial symptoms include memory loss but as the disease progresses and kills more of the brain, the brain is unable to tell the body how to move, swallow or breathe. -- The plaques and tangles associated with the disease act as weeds that literally choke the healthy brain tissue causing it to die; Alzheimer's brains actually shrink due to cell loss.