JACKSON, Miss. ( WJTV ) – In the wake of recent advancements in Alzheimer’s research, data reveals the deadly impact of the disease in Mississippi.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 120,122 people died from Alzheimer’s nationally in 2022, the year with the latest numbers. In Mississippi, 1,679 people died from the most common form of dementia that year. The state’s death rate of 48.5 per 100,000 people is the highest nationally. Since 2016, Mississippi’s death rate led the nation every year except 2018.

In 2005, Mississippi’s Alzheimer’s death rate was the 22nd highest nationally at 26.6 per 100,000 people. Based on available data from the CDC, its peak was 58 per 100,000 in 2020, more than double the rate just 15 years before.

Among the top 10 states with the highest death rates, six are in the South. Since 2019, Alabama has had the second-highest Alzheimer’s death rate. In 2005, Alabama’s death rate was 25% higher than Mississippi’s. In 2022, Mississippi’s death rate was roughly 15% higher than the Yellowhammer State.

Nationally, CDC data reveals that the illness is the seventh leading cause of death nationally and in Mississippi. Most people with the disease are older than 65, but Alzheimer’s can appear earlier. Alzheimer’s disease is defined by specific changes in the brain that occur before symptoms appear. Symptoms include memory loss, impairment of judgment, disorientation, personality changes, difficulties in learning and loss of language skills.

Recent advancements in Alzheimer’s disease research show progress. The development of artificial intelligence modeling to predict the disease’s onset and the approval of a new drug that can slow associated cognitive decline is promising for many. Current drugs only ease symptoms and don’t reverse the course of the disease.

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