Related topics: brain , dementia
Alzheimer's disease
hideAlzheimer's disease (AD), also called Alzheimer disease, Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (SDAT) or simply Alzheimer's, is the most common form of dementia. This incurable, degenerative, and terminal disease was first described by German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906 and was named after him. Generally it is diagnosed in people over 65 years of age, although the less-prevalent early-onset Alzheimer's can occur much earlier. An estimated 26.6 million people worldwide had Alzheimer's in 2006; this number may quadruple by 2050.
Although each sufferer experiences Alzheimer's in a unique way, there are many common symptoms. The earliest observable symptoms are often mistakenly thought to be 'age-related' concerns, or manifestations of stress. In the early stages, the most commonly recognised symptom is memory loss, such as difficulty in remembering recently learned facts. When a doctor or physician has been notified, and AD is suspected, the diagnosis is usually confirmed with behavioural assessments and cognitive tests, often followed by a brain scan if available. As the disease advances, symptoms include confusion, irritability and aggression, mood swings, language breakdown, long-term memory loss, and the general withdrawal of the sufferer as their senses decline. Gradually, bodily functions are lost, ultimately leading to death. Individual prognosis is difficult to assess, as the duration of the disease varies. AD develops for an indeterminate period of time before becoming fully apparent, and it can progress undiagnosed for years. The mean life expectancy following diagnosis is approximately seven years. Fewer than three percent of individuals live more than fourteen years after diagnosis.
The cause and progression of Alzheimer's disease are not well understood. Research indicates that the disease is associated with plaques and tangles in the brain. Currently used treatments offer a small symptomatic benefit; no treatments to delay or halt the progression of the disease are as yet available. As of 2008, more than 500 clinical trials were investigating possible treatments for AD, but it is unknown if any of them will prove successful. Many measures have been suggested for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease, but their value is unproven in slowing the course and reducing the severity of the disease. Mental stimulation, exercise, and a balanced diet are often recommended, as both a possible prevention and a sensible way of managing the disease.
Because AD cannot be cured and is degenerative, management of patients is essential. The role of the main caregiver is often taken by the spouse or a close relative. Alzheimer's disease is known for placing a great burden on caregivers; the pressures can be wide-ranging, involving social, psychological, physical, and economic elements of the caregiver's life. In developed countries, AD is one of the most economically costly diseases to society.
For more information about Alzheimer's disease, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with alzheimer s disease
Midlife coffee and tea drinking and the risk of late-life dementia
Jan 15, 2009 |
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Midlife coffee drinking can decrease the risk of dementia/Alzheimer's disease (AD) later in life. This conclusion is made in a Finnish Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE) Study published ...
Scientists remove amyloid plaques from brains of live animals with Alzheimer's disease
Oct 15, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (17) |
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A breakthrough discovery by scientists from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL, may lead to a new treatment for Alzheimer's Disease that actually removes amyloid plaques -- considered a hallmark of the disease -- from patients' ...
Researchers find agents that speed up destruction of proteins linked to Alzheimer's
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Apr 22, 2009 |
5 / 5 (7) |
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Taking a new approach to the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease, a research team led by investigators at the Mayo Clinic campus in Florida has shown that druglike compounds can speed up destruction of the amyloid ...
Alzheimer's Gene Alters Brain Function in Young Adults
Sep 10, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The gene most closely linked to an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease affects brain activity in young adults -- much earlier in life than previously reported -- according to researchers at Duke ...
Maybe you don't have Alzheimer's after all
Jul 17, 2009 |
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She was 65 years old. "And I was a young 65, believe it or not," says Jeanne Folmer. "Oh, I did everything. I just did everything." Retired from real estate and sales, she kept busy playing golf with her sister, antiquing ...
Upending textbook science on Alzheimer's disease
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 23, 2009 |
5 / 5 (6) |
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Alzheimer's disease is caused by the build-up of a brain peptide called amyloid-beta. That's why eliminating the protein has been the focus of almost all drug research pursuing a cure for the devastating neurodegenerative ...
Oleocanthal may help prevent, treat Alzheimer's
Sep 29, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (6) |
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Oleocanthal, a naturally-occurring compound found in extra-virgin olive oil, alters the structure of neurotoxic proteins believed to contribute to the debilitating effects of Alzheimer's disease. This structural change impedes ...
Alzheimer’s Findings Resolve Dispute Over How Disease Kills Brain Cells
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Apr 15, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (6) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- For a decade, Alzheimer's disease researchers have been entrenched in debate about one of the mechanisms believed to be responsible for brain cell death and memory loss in the illness.
Oxygen treatment hastens memory loss in Alzheimer's mice
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Aug 11, 2009 |
5 / 5 (5) |
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A 65-year-old women goes into the hospital for routine hip surgery. Six months later, she develops memory loss and is later diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. Just a coincidence? Researchers at the University of South ...
Key Brain Receptors Linked To Learning and Memory Decrease with Age
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Sep 11, 2009 |
5 / 5 (5) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists studying cognitive decline that accompanies aging have been interested in nicotinic receptors, part of a key neural pathway that not only enhances learning and memory skills but ...
Rethinking Alzheimer's disease and its treatment targets
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Sep 22, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (5) |
2
(PhysOrg.com) -- Psychiatry professor George Bartzokis introduces a new theory about the fundamental cause of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Scientists make headway in understanding Alzheimer's disease
Feb 05, 2009 |
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Scientists at UC Santa Barbara have discovered that a protein called BAG2 is important for understanding Alzheimer's disease and may open up new targets for drug discovery. They are ready to move from studying ...
A protein that protects against Alzheimer's?
Jan 06, 2009 |
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Research on the mechanisms involved in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, stroke, dementia, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis, to name a few, has taken a step forward thanks to the work of biological sciences ...
Fatty acids clue for Alzheimer's
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 13, 2009 |
2.6 / 5 (8) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The amount of fatty acids in the brain varies between healthy people and those with Alzheimer's according to new research from the University of Bristol, UK, supported by the Alzheimer's Research ...
A drug could improve the memory of those with Alzheimer's disease
Medicine & Health / Medications
Feb 18, 2009 |
5 / 5 (4) |
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A drug used in a type of hereditary metabolic disorder improved the memory of laboratory animals with Alzheimer's disease. The results of the project, developed by researchers of the Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA) ...
