CDC Guidelines Hide the Alzheimer Disease Mortality Burden among Adults with Down Syndrome

Author(s)/Creator(s)

Scott D. Landes, Syracuse UniversityFollow

Description/Abstract

Alzheimer's disease is much more common among adults with than without Down syndrome. While an estimated 11.3% of adults in the general population over age 65 have Alzheimer's disease, nearly all adults with Down syndrome have Alzheimer's neuropathology by age 40, and half develop Alzheimer's disease by age 60. However, CDC guidelines for completing death certificates hide the actual Alzheimer's disease mortality burden among adults with Down syndrome. This brief summarizes results from a recent study seeking to accurately measure the disparity in the Alzheimer's disease mortality burden between adults with versus without Down syndrome for the years 2005-2019.

Document Type

Research Brief

Keywords

Alzheimer Disease, Down syndrome, Population Health

Disciplines

Disability Studies | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Sociology

Date

2-14-2023

For More Information

Access all Lerner Center research briefs here.

Language

English

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Shannon Monnat, Alexandra Punch, and Zoe Tkaczyk for their edits to this brief.

Recommended Citation

Landes, Scott. (2023). CDC Guidelines Hide the Alzheimer Disease Mortality Burden among Adults with Down Syndrome. Lerner Center Population Health and Research Brief. 209. https://surface.syr.edu/lerner/209

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.