Alzheimer's Disease - Prognosis

Alzheimer's is sometimes the immediate and direct cause of death. More often, patients die from conditions that result from their generally poor and deteriorating health. Pneumonia, cancer (see cancer entry), stroke, and heart disease (see heart attack and atherosclerosis entries) are the most common of these conditions. On average, people with AD live eight years beyond their diagnosis. Some die as soon as a year after diagnosis, while others survive up to twenty years.