An estimated 10 million baby boomers in the United States will develop Alzheimer’s disease, according to a recent report from the Alzheimer’s Association.

The newly released report said the debilitating brain disorder is now the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States and the fifth-leading cause of death for those over age 65.  The 10 million estimate translates into 1 in 8 baby boomers.

“The information in the 2008 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures makes it clear the Alzheimer crisis cannot be ignored—not when 10 million baby boomers are at risk for developing this fatal disease,” Harry Johns, the association’s president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. “Unchecked, this disease will impose staggering consequences on families, the economy and the nation’s health and long-term care infrastructure.”

As many as 5.2 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia.

The report also predicted that by 2010, there will be almost a half-million new cases of Alzheimer’s disease each year and almost a million new cases a year by 2050.