California Neurodegenerative Disease Registry: Alzheimer’s Disease

California Health and Safety Code Section 103871 requires requires all hospitals, facilities , physicians and surgeons, or other health care providers diagnosing or pro viding treatment for a patient with a neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer's disease to report each case to the California Neurodegenerative Disease Registry (CNDR) starting July 1, 2025. CNDR is the statewide population-based registry that will be used to measure the incidence and prevalence of Alzheimer's disease in California. 

Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. Alzheimer's disease is currently ranked as the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and is the most common cause of dementia among older adults. More than 12 percent of the 7 million Americans affected by Alzheimer's disease live in California. It is estimated that over 105,000 Californians aged 65 and older will be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. It is also estimated 1,373,000 California family caregivers provide 1.8 million hours of unpaid care per year to Alzheimer's patients, with an annual economic value of slightly more than 44 billion. The disease is now the fifth leading cause of death in California, having increased by 282.7 percent from 2000 to 2021 at a rate much higher than other leading causes of death. The number of Californians 65 and older living with Alzheimer's disease is projected to more than double by the year 2040, according to data released by the California Department of Public Health in conjunction with the Alzheimer's Association. 

California has been a​​ national leader in Alzheimer’s disease research and since 1985 the state has invested more than $90.7 million in the California Alzheimer’s Disease Centers, which have leveraged the funds to raise more than $544.5 million in federal and private research money.**