Ann, my husband was 50 when diagnosed and 61 when he died. Other than the EOAD, he was healthy as the proverbial horse. So, no, I don't think he had a normal life span. If he had been 80 when diagnosed and died at 91...that is an entirely different story.
It's called a fatal disease because eventually it kills the patient, when it attacks brain areas that are crucial to maintaining life. Most patients will die sooner than they would have otherwise. This effect is of course more noticable in younger patients, and in patients where the rate of decline is fast.
Maybe it is considered fatal because there is no cure and very little if anything that can be done to control the progression and everyone that has it dies or gets worse because of what it does to their entire body.
No matter what age someone is diagnosed with alz, I do believe it shortens their lifespan. In Sandi's example of dx at 80 and death at 90, it may seem like that person lived a long life, but very well could have lived longer without the disease. Of course when someone is diagnosed at an age under 60, their lifespan is shorter.
I agree with Sandi*, my husband was dx at 60, is completely healthy otherwise and is now Stage 6 at age 66. There is no way he will have a normal life span.
My wife has had AD visibly since she was 55. She was diagnosed at 56 and is now 59. She will not live till 65 almost certainly. The geriatric specialist estimated 8-12 years but when she sees my spouse in two weeks she's going to be suprised. Once again we have lost a lot.
All statistics are skewed because of the geriatric nature of AD. It usually strikes later in life and so is obuscured by normal decline, other meds, and other conditions. When they say 20-30% of caregivers die before the patient that includes a lot of people in their 80's where it's more difficult to isolate one cause.
I believe when we are diagnosed in our 70's or later then AD may not have an impact on 'normal' lifespan although it certainly has an impact on quality of life. The true nature of AD becomes clear when we seperate EOAD statistics where no one who is diagnosed in their 50's will see their 80's and almost no one will see their 70's.
Everyone is different but...a "normal" life span, NEVER and just the fact that it is fatal is not normal. Even if the person is 90 years old and dies from this disease he. in my opinion, did not have a normal life span.
For some reason, this issue has been on my mind lately. My husband was diagnosed at 53, now 58 and solid stage 6! Steep decline this past year especially. I guess he could plateau and hold on for another 20 years, but given his steep decline this past year, doubtful. NOT normal life span because both of his parents are still alive at 90 and 83, his maternal grandfather lived to be 104. I agree with WolfK, the statistics have to be skewed due to the fact many patients already over 65 with other health problems. I think the doctors initially told us 8-10 years, but admittedly they have no idea.