[BigSkyFreeper]

Dying from pneumonia would be common in Alzheimer's patients because the immune system is controlled by the brain that recognizes the plethora of diseases from the common cold to pneumonia, and the shutting down of the central nervous system would not allow the brain to communicate with the other body organs to react to foreign viruses invading the body. This is why Ronald Reagan couldn't verbalize Michael's name in the waning months and years of being succombed to Alzheimers because that too is also a brain function.

Being forgetful, unable to speak clearly, falling down, being bedridden, and contracting pneumonia, all clear signs of Alzheimers.

Ten years is quite a long time. I've read articles on the web that say some Alzheimers patients can live 20 to 50 years with Alzheimers.

[phil_will1]

"Ten years is quite a long time. I've read articles on the web that say some Alzheimers patients can live 20 to 50 years with Alzheimers."

Twenty years I could believe - I think 10 years was the average - and this was 5 or 6 years ago. However, I find it hard to believe someone could live 50 years with it. If they did, the last 20 or 30 years of their lives would be spent in a vegetative state. That assumes no drugs which retard the progression of the disease.