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Kygirl86 Asked June 2018

My husband is late stage 5 ALZ and has had what seems like mid stage 5 Parkinson’s. He is 80 years old. How does this work in progression?

Does it bring end of life more quickly when combined?

Kygirl86 Jun 2018
I am just curious. He has had ALZ close to 10 years.

jeannegibbs Jun 2018
Kygirl, what if you can discover that the combination reduces life expectancy by 18% compared to ALZ alone, and 12% compared to Parkinson's alone. (I just made that up, for discussion.) That might be interesting, but it doesn't really tell you anything about what to expect for your husband. Within the "average" or "typical" ranges there is huge individual variation.

My husband had Lewy Body Dementia. The "average" duration of that disease is five to eight years. In my support group, one person's loved one died in less than 2 years. My husband lived with the disease 10 years. Knowing averages isn't really that helpful.

BTW, LBD is a type of dementia that also includes some of the symptoms of Parkinson's.

The average life expectancy of a male born in 1935 was 59.9 years. Your dear husband escaped the killer childhood diseases, missed fatal accidents, and somehow was lucky enough to avoid leading causes of death such as cancer and heart disease. And here he is, 80 years old. Statistically, men who have made it to age 80 typically have a life expectancy of another 8 years. (Which means some die the next year and some live to 103, but the average is 88.) Statistically, people with dementia live about 10 years past the the initial symptoms. Hmm. Those two stats don't go together very well, do they?

There is probably a way to calculate the combined effect of ALZ and Parkinson's on life expectancy. But even if you had that answer, it would not tell you much (if anything) about what to expect for your husband.

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TWSLISA Jun 2018
I don't think there's a clear answer for your question. I don't know much about Alzheimer's, but I do know that Parkinson's itself won't kill you, tho complications arising from the Disease (falls, pneumonia, etc.) can do so. So sorry you're going through this with your husband. Take care of yourself!

freqflyer Jun 2018
kygirl, I am moving your question back toward the front of the forum. Hopefully a caregiver familiar with your situation can give you an answer.

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