The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the latest Alzheimer's fatality numbers. The results were alarming. However, CDC officials note that a change in the reporting criteria for Alzheimer's was to blame for much of the increase.
By changing the Alzheimer's disease classification to include patients suffering from "presenile dementia," the disease jumped from the 12th leading cause of death in 1998 to the 9th leading cause in 1999. Due to the new classification, deaths from Alzheimer's disease surpassed those caused by motor vehicle accidents and breast cancer, totaling 44,507 in 1999.