General agreement on some symptoms of ALzheimer's disase, disagreement on others

The survey asked about a range of possible symptoms that might be associated with Alzheimer’s and found that there is widespread belief that certain symptoms are characteristic of the disease. Large majorities in each of the countries see each of the following as being a common symptom of Alzheimer’s: confusion and disorientation, wandering and getting lost, difficulty remembering things in their life from the day before, difficulty managing daily tasks, and difficulty managing and paying bills.

There was less agreement on whether certain other symptoms are characteristic of Alzheimer’s. Opinion is divided between countries on whether each of the following is a common symptom ofAlzheimer’s disease: difficulty remembering things in their life from years before (the proportion saying it is a common symptom ranges from 44% to 76%), anger and violence (35% to 53%), and loss of appetite (21% to 52%). Less than half of people in all five countries believe that hallucinations or hearing voices and problems with pain are common symptoms.

Large numbers do not believe Alzheimer's disease is a fatal disease

The public was asked whether Alzheimer’s is a fatal disease. About four in ten believe that Alzheimer’s disease is, with considerable variation between countries (33% in Germany to 61% in the U.S.), while between a third and two-thirds believe it is not (35% in the U.S. to 62% in Germany).