Since the last election, the national budget has been a sore spot between Republicans and Democrats. Government programs such as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are leading the debates on reducing the national budget. With all the on-going arguments, our politicians seem to be oblivious of a greater threat to the budget. People with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease live a long time, but require constant and very expensive care. These debilitating illnesses also prevent affected persons from working, which will have a devastating long-term impact on the budget.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. and an estimated 5.4 million Americans currently suffer from AD. If current population trends continue, the number of people with Alzheimer’s disease will increase significantly unless the disease can be effectively treated or prevented. The U.S. population is aging and the risk of Alzheimer’s increases with age. For instance, Alzheimer’s usually begins after age 60 and the number of people with the disease doubles for every five-year interval beyond age 65. About five percent of men and women ages 65 to 74 have Alzheimer’s disease and it is estimated that nearly half of those age 85 and older may have the disease.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s disease and affects one million people in the United States. Symptoms of PD include muscle rigidity, tremors, and changes in speech and gait that worsen as the illness progresses over time. PD is more common in the elderly and most often develops after age 50. Sometimes, Parkinson’s disease occurs in younger adults. When a young person is affected with PD, it is usually because of a form of the disease that runs in families.

With strong research investment, heart disease deaths in the US fell by 13 percent in the past decade. Alzheimer’s deaths rose by 68 percent from 2000 to 2010 and continue to increase. The issue is not how, but why we cannot increase our investment in research into fighting these diseases that have a tremendous impact on both the individual and society. Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s get comparatively less funding than other top diseases because they are more common in the elderly and largely ignored. Stigma is another reason why it is hard to raise money since people with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s rarely talk about the disease. Also, Alzheimer’s is different from other diseases because Alzheimer’s patients rarely lead marches to fight for more funding since their memory is impacted.

It is important to our nation’s economic future to reduce the deficit, but we cannot ignore the importance of investing in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s research. As the nation’s older populations grow, the cost of care for these diseases will rise dramatically. In fact, Alzheimer’s is expected to cost the U.S. more than $1 trillion annually and persons who leave the workforce to care for an affected family member impact economic productivity. Increasing funding for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s will require difficult choices and shared sacrifice in spending reductions and increased revenues.

As Congress continues to agree or disagree on the best way to fix Medicare, our national budget will likely increase if we do not dramatically increase our investment in research into fighting Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The devastating statistics continue to increase and rising health care costs pose a great problem to our nation’s economy.

Related articles

• Alzheimer’s Disease Progress Report: Intensifying the Research Effort (pdresources.org)