Study finds US leads the way in Alzheimer’s research, as hundreds ready to “Walk to End” disease

October 4, 2019 3:16 PM

Christina Lorey,

Posted: October 4, 2019 3:16 PM

Updated: August 31, 2021 12:28 PM

by Christina Lorey

MADISON, Wis. — As hundreds of Madison-area families prepare to Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Sunday, a new report is out showing the U.S. leads the world in Alzheimer’s research.

Global information analytics giant Elsevier found that U.S. Alzheimer’s research output is more than twice that of any other country, although the U.S. “collaborates less internationally (44.2% in 2018), than compared to other top countries, e.g. 68.8% of Alzheimer’s research in the UK involved international collaboration and 29.4% did in China in the same year,” researchers said.

The collaboration difference could be due to distance, time zones, or language constraints, report writers noted. However, countries whose researchers collaborate tend to have a greater impact: their research is cited, and used, more frequently.

Scientists all over the world are scrambling to find anything to help people have dementia and its most prevalent form, Alzheimer’s disease. According to the World Health Organization, 50 million people have dementia around the world, and nearly 10 million new cases are diagnosed every year.

The WHO projects the number of people with dementia will reach 82 million in 2030 and 152 million by 2050. More than 5 million Americans currently have Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is expected to triple by 2050.

The 2019 Walk to End Alzheimer’s is Sunday, Oct. 6 at James Madison Memorial High School in Madison. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The opening ceremony starts at 10 a.m., followed by the walk at 10:15 a.m.

Click here to register or donate.

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