Alzheimer’s Life Expectancy Calculator

Our Alzheimer’s life expectancy calculator will help you determine the approximate life expectancy of someone with Alzheimer's disease, according to the seven stages of the disease development (Global Deterioration Scale).

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that usually affects people over the age of 65. It is the most common form of dementia, and causes complex brain changes that result in marked cognitive decline. Due to its progressive nature, you may be wondering what the life expectancy with Alzheimer's disease is. Come along to get answers to the following questions:

• What is Alzheimer's disease?
• Does Alzheimer's shorten the life expectancy?
• What is the life expectancy of an Alzheimer's patient?

And more.

We try our best to make our Omni Calculators as precise and reliable as possible. However, this tool can never replace a professional doctor's assessment. If any health condition bothers you, consult a physician.

Alzheimer's disease is a chronic and progressive brain disorder, accounting for 60–80% of the cases in patients with dementia. Those with Alzheimer's disease gradually display symptoms such as:

• Memory decline;
• Difficulty with planning and with problem-solving;
• Difficulty in completing everyday tasks;
• Difficulty in concentrating and bouts of confusion;
• Difficulty in comprehending spatial relationships;
• Trouble with making reasonable judgments;
• Difficulty in coping with unfamiliar situations;
• Changes in personality and mood (depression, irritability, mood swings, or restlessness); if you want to learn more about depression and anxiety, visit Omni depression screening by PHQ-2 calculator and GAD-7 calculator, accordingly;
• Impulsive behavior and aggressiveness.

These symptoms are thought to be caused by changes in the brain. These changes include the development of amyloid (harmful) plaques and abnormal accumulations of a protein, which disrupts connections between brain cells. Over time, brain cells die, and parts of the brain start to shrink. These changes in the brain may appear long before the diagnosis and usually begin in the hippocampus, a part of the brain that's involved in learning and memory, hence why memory decline is one of the first displayed symptoms. Unfortunately, the life expectancy of those who develop Alzheimer's disease is shortened. Keep on reading to find out what the seven stages of Alzheimer's disease are and how our Alzheimer's life expectancy calculator works.

The Alzheimer's life expectancy calculator uses the seven stages of Alzheimer's disease, as defined by the Global Deterioration Scale.

All you need to do is indicate the stage of development of Alzheimer's disease. The calculator will tell you the approximate duration of the stage and the life expectancy according to the stage. In the next section, we give more details about these stages.

The life expectancy of those with Alzheimer's disease may greatly vary depending on the age, general health condition, early diagnosis, and treatment in early stages. Nevertheless, we can roughly answer the question: "What is the life expectancy of someone with Alzheimer's?" with general estimations, depending on the stage of the disease's development (and the accompanying degree of cognitive impairment).

• In the first stage, there are no known estimations regarding the life expectancy, and symptoms are mostly silent.

• In the second stage, subtle changes may appear — although those changes may just be due to aging, and not be related to Alzheimer's disease at all. In this stage, the estimated life expectancy is more than ten years.

• During the third stage (which lasts from 2 to 7 years), the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (memory decline, misplacing objects, trouble organizing, planning, etc.) become more apparent. Here, the estimated life expectancy is around ten years.

• During the fourth stage, the symptoms that were detected in the third stage become more obvious, and the person may appear more withdrawn and moody. The estimated life expectancy is between 3 to 8 years in this stage.

• In the fifth stage, the person may need help performing everyday activities. Memory decline is very apparent — a person may not recall important details and events of their life. The estimated life expectancy is between 1.5 and 6.5 years in this stage.

• During stage six, the patient may forget names, be unaware of their environment, have trouble dressing adequately, and display significant personality and behavior changes. Life expectancy for this stage is four years or less. If you want to check the independence of a person in terms of daily self-care and mobility, use Omni barthel index calculator.

• In the seventh stage (which lasts 2.5 years or less) verbal abilities are progressively lost, as well as psychomotor skills.

Life expectancy in Alzheimer's stages varies — make sure to consult with a medical professional for full clinical evaluation. Although Alzheimer's does shorten life expectancy, the quality of life of those who have the disease can be significantly improved by adequate care and attention.

Diagnosing Alzheimer's disease requires careful clinical evaluation, and there is no single assessment tool to make the diagnosis. Various tests are used to identify the disease, including brain imaging, neuropsychological tests, psychiatric evaluation, blood and urine tests, intellectual functioning assessments, and a detailed investigation of the person's medical history.

Unfortunately, Alzheimer's disease is a progressive condition that does shorten life expectancy. By how much the lifespan is affected depends on the stage of the disease development at the time of diagnosis.

At stage 6 of Alzheimer's disease (characterized by severe cognitive decline), the estimated life expectancy is four years or less.

Depending on the stage of disease development at the diagnosis, the life expectancy of someone with Alzheimer's disease varies from 3 to 11 years.

You can estimate the approximate life expectancy of someone with Alzheimer's disease according to stages of disease development. However, the stage durations may vary depending on age, general health, and the time of diagnosis.

The approximate durations of the different Alzheimer's stages are as follows: