Half of Alzheimer's Disease Cases May be Mild

A new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease estimated that half the people living with Alzheimer's may have mild rather than moderate or severe cases of the disorder, reports the U.S. National Institute on Aging . The researchers considered data from the Framingham Heart Study, analyzing medical information for more than 17,000 people through information compiled from 2004 to 2009. They determined that more than 1,000 people were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Among those with Alzheimer's, 50.4 percent had mild disease, 30.3 percent had moderate disease, and 19.3 percent had severe disease. Among subjects with either Alzheimer's or MCI, 29.5 percent exhibited MCI that did not worsen over time and 19.6 percent had MCI that progressed to dementia.