--- title: Alzheimer's Disease Could Be a Leading Cause of U.S. Deaths description: Research found that medical staff often lists people's immediate cause of death, such as pneumonia, on death certificates, when Alzheimer's was the underlying cause. If properly accounted for, Alzheimer's could rival heart disease and cancer as a leading cause of death canonical: https://time.com/13091/alzheimers-bigger-killer-than-we-realize-study-says/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-03-05T21:00:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T08:47:51.447Z article:section: Health og:title: Alzheimer's Disease Could Be a Leading Cause of U.S. Deaths og:description: Research found that medical staff often lists people's immediate cause of death, such as pneumonia, on death certificates, when Alzheimer's was the underlying cause. If properly accounted for, Alzheimer's could rival heart disease and cancer as a leading cause of death og:url: https://time.com/13091/alzheimers-bigger-killer-than-we-realize-study-says/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt49a7004b1b08762b/69868424adae4414a8541d2f/110688608.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1500 og:image:height: 844 og:image:alt: A woman suffering from Alzheimer's og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Alzheimer's Disease Could Be a Leading Cause of U.S. Deaths twitter:description: Research found that medical staff often lists people's immediate cause of death, such as pneumonia, on death certificates, when Alzheimer's was the underlying cause. If properly accounted for, Alzheimer's could rival heart disease and cancer as a leading cause of death twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt49a7004b1b08762b/69868424adae4414a8541d2f/110688608.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Alzheimer's Bigger Killer Than We Realize, Study Says > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. 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It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=d4d102b1-868d-4089-b1e3-f88d41f69862&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## 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 [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Mar 5, 2014 9:00 PM UTC by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Mar 5, 2014 9:00 PM UTC Alzheimer’s disease kills more Americans than we realize, researchers say. Death certificates often do not list dementia as the underlying cause of death. Instead, the immediate cause, like pneumonia, is listed, obscuring Alzheimer’s-related deaths, according to Bryan D. James of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and lead author of a study published in the journal _Neurology_. The researchers followed 2,566 people between the ages 65 and older who had yearly tests for dementia. After about eight years, 1,090 of the participants died, and 559 of the participants who did not have dementia at the start of the study developed Alzheimer’s disease. The death rate among participants was four times higher after a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s in people between 75 to 84, and almost three times higher in people over age 85. The researchers say this equates to an estimated 503,400 deaths from Alzheimer’s in Americans over age 75 in 2010\. This is six times greater than the 83,494 deaths from Alzheimer’s disease the CDC [reported](http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm). Currently, Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the CDC. Heart disease and cancer are numbers one and two, at 597,689 and 574,743 deaths, respectively. “Determining the true effects of dementia in this country is important for raising public awareness and identifying research priorities regarding this epidemic,” said James in a statement. ## Transcript 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 US in 2010. But according to researchers at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago, the actual number could be six times larger. The study estimates more than 500, 000 people died from the disease last year. That would put it behind just heart disease and cancer as the third leading cause of death in the US. Cause of death figures are calculated using the cause listed on death certificates. The lead author of the study told CNN, death certificates are well known to under report Alzheimer's and many people don't even realize it's a deadly disease. The more immediate causes of death, such as pneumonia or heart attack, are usually listed, and the underlying causes of death are usually left off. There are an estimated 5 million patients living with the disease in the US. Doctors say that number could triple by 2050, if there are no medical breakthroughs. Actor Seth Rogen spoke on Capital Hill last week about the need for more research funding. It needs to be yelled and screamed to the point that it finally gets the attention and the funding that it deserves and needs. Alzheimer's Association advisory groups estimated it would take $ 20 billion over the next ten years to make a significant difference in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. The National Institutes of Health spent $ 503 million in Alzheimer's research in 2012. For comparison, it spent $ 5. 6 billion on cancer research. I'm Lauren Gorus. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/13091/alzheimers-bigger-killer-than-we-realize-study-says/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/13091/alzheimers-bigger-killer-than-we-realize-study-says/"},"headline":"Alzheimer's Bigger Killer Than We Realize, Study Says","datePublished":"2014-03-05T21:00:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-01T08:47:51.447Z","description":"Research found that medical staff often lists people's immediate cause of death, such as pneumonia, on death certificates, when Alzheimer's was the underlying cause. 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