Maryland continues to be the state with the highest prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias as the United States is seeing increased rates of the disease.

About 7.2 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s and about 130,000 Marylanders have the disease, according to a new study from the Alzheimer’s Association.

The association says the prevalence of the disease is increasing as people live long. It’s also adding an additional economic burden.

The study estimates that Alzheimer’s will cost the economy $384 billion in 2025, up from $360 billion in 2024.

That also doesn’t take into account the burden families bear.

“We have, we believe, around 12 million family members providing 19 billion hours of unpaid care, valued at about $413 billion,” said Eileen Rosenthal, program director at the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Maryland Chapter. “In Maryland, that would translate to about 258,000 caregivers. And, we estimate, they're providing about 292 million hours of unpaid care.”

Baltimore, along with Miami-Dade County in Florida and the Bronx in New York, has the highest concentration of people with the disease.

“Age is the biggest risk factor, but our rich diversity has also positioned us to have high prevalence. Alzheimer's has a much higher prevalence among African Americans, probably twice as much as in the white population,” Rosenthal said. “We also know that there are other contributing factors like social determinants of health, historic health disparities, lack of access to health care, lack of understanding about the early warning signs that have resulted in higher prevalence.”

The Alzheimer's Association is recommending that all senior citizens get tested by their physicians for the disease even if they are not showing symptoms.

Rosenthal said people should eat whole foods and exercise to prevent later dementia.

“It's not rocket science,” Rosenthal said. “Anything that blocks the flow of oxygen to the brain could put somebody at risk for cognitive decline down the road. So just moving, walking, exercising, getting those steps in, obviously, getting enough sleep helps.”

Rosenthal said socializing and staying active also keeps the disease at bay.