By 2025, West Virginia is expected to have 50,000 Alzheimer's patients over the age of 65, up from 44,000 in 2010, according to the latest state Alzheimer's statistics released Tuesday from the Alzheimer's Association.

The aging of Baby Boomers is one reason for the increase, said Jane Marks, executive director of the West Virginia Alzheimer's Association.

"Age is the greatest risk factor," Marks said, while adding that it's not the only factor. "So that definitely is one of the reasons we're seeing the increase."

A "huge part of our population" will be entering that age of greatest risk, Marks said.

She wants state residents to call their congressional representative and ask that more funding be allocated to Alzheimer's research. A 2012 plan to address the disease called for a dramatic increase in funding, but that hasn't happened yet, she said.

The Alzheimer's Association occasionally holds fundraisers for research. She encouraged people to take part.

"We are the largest private funder of Alzheimer's research in the world," Marks said. "We like to say we push for it, we enhance it, and we help promote it."

The association's vision is to see the end of the disease, which will only come with research, Marks said.

One in three seniors in the U.S. die with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia. While deaths from HIV/AIDS, stroke, heart disease and other major diseases are decreasing, Alzheimer's deaths have risen 68 percent from 2000 to 2010, according to the latest statistics.

Alzheimer's puts a significant burden on the families and caregivers of patients, Marks said.

In 2012 there were 108,000 Alzheimer's caregivers who spent 123 million hours giving care, according to the latest statistics.

Nationally, Alzheimer's is the sixth-leading cause of death and the only cause of death that has no way to prevent, cure or slow the progression.

"That should certainly give us all pause," Marks said.

In 2010, more than 83,000 people in the United States died from the disease. Around 600 of them were West Virginians, according to the report.

Of those with Alzheimer's disease, almost two-thirds are women. Of the 5 million people over age 65 with Alzheimer's, 3.2 million are women and 1.8 million are men. Women also account for more of the caregivers than men, Marks said.

"It's important for women to pay attention to," she said. "Clearly it can affect our lives."

The disease also will affect Americans financially, she said.

Health care for Alzheimer's patients is expected to top $200 billion in 2013, $142 billion of which will be paid with Medicare or Medicaid.

"It gives us a lot to think about," Marks said. "All of us should worry about the things that will cost our health system and affect us as taxpayers."

More facts and figures can be accessed at the Alzheimer's Association website at http://www.alz.org/

Reach Lori Kersey at lori.ker...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1240.