U.S. death rate from Alzheimer’s rose dramatically over 15 years. Why?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has just put out a grim report about Alzheimer’s disease in the United States.
Death rates from Alzheimer’s climbed 55 percent from 1999 to 2014, CDC found, and the number of Americans afflicted is likely to rise rapidly in the coming years. About 5.5 million people 65 years and older have the disease — a wretched and fatal form of dementia that erases memories and ultimately can destroy mental and physical capacity. By 2050, that’s expected to more than double to 13.8 million people.
The report is based on state- and county-level death certificate data from the National Vital Statistics System, and CDC researchers said the sharp increase in death rates may be due to the aging population, earlier diagnosis and greater reporting by physicians.
There’s also the cruel fact that as we have become more sophisticated in our ability to operate and medicate away physical issues associated with aging — such as heart disease and stroke — there’s more time for something to go awry with our minds.