--- title: Alzheimer's Disease Misperceptions description: Misconceptions are rampant when it comes to cognitive diseases canonical: https://time.com/2897084/80-of-people-mistakenly-think-alzheimers-is-a-normal-part-of-aging/ author: Alice Park article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-19T12:00:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T08:29:57.309Z article:section: Health og:title: 80% of People Think Alzheimer's Is A Normal Part of Aging. They're Wrong. og:description: Misconceptions are rampant when it comes to cognitive diseases og:url: https://time.com/2897084/80-of-people-mistakenly-think-alzheimers-is-a-normal-part-of-aging/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 80% of People Think Alzheimer's Is A Normal Part of Aging. They're Wrong. twitter:description: Misconceptions are rampant when it comes to cognitive diseases twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # 80% of People Think Alzheimer's Is A Normal Part of Aging ## Video: Study: More People Die From Alzheimer’s Than We Thought [Watch (HLS stream): Study: More People Die From Alzheimer’s Than We Thought](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/9fyDTyHY.m3u8) (1:22)  _Published 2014-03-06. An irreversible brain disorder that gradually destroys memory and eventually leads to death, Alzheimer’s disease was blamed for more than 83,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2010. But researchers believe the actual number could be six times larger._  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Jun 19, 2014 12:00 PM UTC  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Jun 19, 2014 12:00 PM UTC Despite estimates that more than one billion people will be affected by Alzheimer’s disease by 2050, many around the world still don’t understand the disease. In a survey of more than 6000 people from 12 countries, the [Alzheimer’s Association](http://www.alz.org/) says nearly a quarter of responders list Alzheimer’s disease as the condition they most fear getting, behind cancer. Yet in some countries, including India, China and Saudi Arabia, more than 80% believe that the neurodegenerative condition is a normal part of aging, and not an abnormal state of the brain in which plaques of proteins build up and break down nerve connections. At the same time, nearly 40% of people believed that only those with a family history of the disease could be affected. And while the disease is often associated with symptoms of memory loss and cognitive decline, it can eventually affect physical functions as well and be fatal in those affected. “Alzheimer’s disease knows no bounds,” Harry Johns, president and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association said in a written statement about the survey. “Anyone with a brain is at risk for Alzheimer’s disease, so everyone with a brain should join the fight against it.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2897084/80-of-people-mistakenly-think-alzheimers-is-a-normal-part-of-aging/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2897084/80-of-people-mistakenly-think-alzheimers-is-a-normal-part-of-aging/"},"headline":"80% of People Think Alzheimer's Is A Normal Part of Aging","datePublished":"2014-06-19T12:00:48.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:29:57.309Z","description":"Confusion around the neurodegenerative disease","url":"https://time.com/2897084/80-of-people-mistakenly-think-alzheimers-is-a-normal-part-of-aging/","keywords":["Alzheimer's","Alzheimer's Disease"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alice Park","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/alice-park/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2897084/80-of-people-mistakenly-think-alzheimers-is-a-normal-part-of-aging/","name":"80% of People Think Alzheimer's Is A Normal Part of Aging"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Study: More People Die From Alzheimer’s Than We Thought","description":"An irreversible brain disorder that gradually destroys memory and eventually leads to death, Alzheimer’s disease was blamed for more than 83,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2010. 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