A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease cuts a person’s remaining life expectancy by half, say researchers in a new report.

Men newly diagnosed Alzheimer’s had a survival period of 4.2 years, while women averaged 5.7 years. Both figures are about half of what person the same age without the disease would be expected to live, experts said.
 
Dr. Eric Larson led a University of Washington team that followed 521 men and women 60 or older who had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging and is published in today’s Annals of Internal Medicine.
 
The findings will help providers, and patients, better plan for and around the disease, Larson said.