Alzheimer's disease rates are rising across the United States, researchers say

Seven out of ten states with highest fatality rates from disease are in the south

The deadly surge of Alzheimer's across America in the past 20 years has been laid bare in a series of interactive maps.

Fatalites have spiraled 168 percent, official figures show, jumping from about 44,000 deaths a year in 1999 to 120,000 in 2021, the latest date available.

An aging population and the rise of sedentary lifestyles and poor diets are all blamed for the increasing numbers.