Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder that causes gradual loss of memory, perception, language, reasoning, and the ability to care for oneself. Individuals have difficulty remembering, communicating and carrying out routine tasks; they often are confused and may wander. In the advanced stages, individuals typically fail to recognize their family members and are unable to perform daily activities, like bathing, eating and dressing; the disease eventually leads to death. It is estimated that more than five million Americans currently have Alzheimer's disease; this number is expected to triple by mid-century. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by an accumulation of abnormal clumps, called amyloid plaques ,and tangles in the brain.
Typical signs of Alzheimer’s disease include problems with memory and confusion. This can include forgetting names and phone numbers, getting lost while going to a familiar place, or wearing the wrong seasonal clothing for the weather outside
Other symptoms include:
Loss of short-term memory and eventually long-term memory.
Inability to communicate effectively, including the loss of ability to speak and write.
Inability to do pre-programmed motor tasks or to perform activities of daily, such as brushing teeth and dressing. An individual may forget all motor skills learned during their development years.
Not recognizing familiar people and objects.
Personality changes can become evident in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Signs include irritability, apathy, withdrawal and isolation.
Individuals may show symptoms of depression at any stage of the disease. Depression is treatable, even in the latter stages of Alzheimer's disease.
Psychotic symptoms include hallucinations and delusions, which usually occur in the middle stage. Hallucinations and delusions can be very upsetting to the person with the disease. Common reactions are feelings of fear, anxiety and paranoia, as well as agitation, aggression and verbal outbursts.
It is estimated that more than five million Americans currently have Alzheimer's disease.
It is projected that the number of Americans with Alzheimer's disease could more than triple to 16 million Americans by mid-century.
An estimated one in eight persons aged 65 and older has Alzheimer's disease.
It is estimated that one to four family members act as caregivers for a person with Alzheimer’s disease.
It is estimated that about a half million Americans younger than age 65 have some form of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. (This is referred to as young onset or early onset.)
Dementia is a general term that describes a group of symptoms, such as loss of memory, judgment, language, complex motor skills, and other intellectual function, that is caused by the permanent damage or death of the brain's nerve cells, or neurons.
Several diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, can cause dementia.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia in persons over the age of 65. It represents about 60 percent of all dementias.
The other most common causes of dementia are vascular dementia, caused by stroke or blockage of blood supply, and dementia with Lewy bodies. Other types include alcohol dementia, caused by sustained use of alcohol; trauma dementia, caused by head injury; and a rare form of dementia, frontotemporal dementia.
The clinical symptoms and the progression of dementia vary, depending on the type of disease causing it and the location and number of damaged brain cells. Some types progress slowly over years, while others may result in sudden loss of intellectual function.
Each type of dementia is characterized by different pathologic, or structural, changes in the brain.
Right now the causes of Alzheimer's disease are still largely unknown. The biggest risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease is age; the vast majority of people with Alzheimer's disease are 65 years of age or older. However, there are people with the disease as young as in their thirties. Other risk factors are family history, or genetics, overproduction of toxic free-radicals, brain injury and inflammation, and Down's syndrome.
Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed with up to 90 percent accuracy. Clinicians diagnose probable Alzheimer's disease on the basis of information from the individual and interviews with family members, as well as a physical exam and results of neurological, psychological, radiological, and laboratory tests. However, a definitive diagnosis can only be made after the individual dies by examining the brain during an autopsy.
Alzheimer's disease is classified as sporadic and familial. Sporadic means that symptoms begin after age 60 and familial means that the symptoms begin between age 30 and 60.
Familial Alzheimer's disease is not as common as sporadic Alzheimer’s disease. Only 10 percent of people with Alzheimer’s disease have familial Alzheimer’s disease. It is caused by genetic mutations.
If you have family members with either familial or sporadic Alzheimer’s disease, you are still not guaranteed to become ill.
Currently there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, although research for a cure and effective treatments is ongoing. Several pharmaceutical drugs are available to treat individuals in the early, moderate and severe stages of the disease. These medications may help slow the progression of symptoms of the disease. Research shows that these medical treatments are most effective when started early in the disease process.
Experts also suggest that it helps if individuals with Alzheimer's disease live a healthy lifestyle, including good nutrition, physical exercise, socialization and activities to stimulate the brain, such as listening to music and simple math exercises.
Alzheimer's disease is progressive and the illness worsens over time. The majority of people with the disease do live at home, and not in care facilities. However, sometimes individuals may need to move in with a relative or to a residence where care is provided 24 hours a day. Some people move to assisted living residences and, as the disease progresses, others move to special dementia units within assisted living facilities or to nursing homes.
Assisted living residences are like large private homes where those who are ill can have help with bathing, dressing, and taking medications. The staff prepares all meals and lead many activities.
Nursing homes are medical facilities. They assist those who need more physical assistance and may need 24 hour medical care. They assist with bathing, dressing, prepare all meals and often have lots of activities and entertainment.
Not all people with Alzheimer's disease move to residences. Many live with their families who care for them. Some caregivers have some assistance of hired help.
Alzheimer's disease stretches from two to twenty years, and individuals live on average for eight to ten years from diagnosis. Alzheimer's disease does cause death, and it is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. However, an individual with Alzheimer's disease often dies from an additional illness like pneumonia.
A growing body of research indicates that healthy lifestyles or lifestyle changes can reduce the risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease.
First, please know that as a young person, you cannot develop this disease at this point in your life. But it is still important to optimize the health of your brain cells throughout your life. This may help prevent the development or advancement of Alzheimer's disease when you get older.
The origin of the term Alzheimer's disease dates back to 1906 when Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German physician, presented a case history before a medical meeting of a 51-year-old female who suffered from a rare brain disorder. His autopsy of the woman's brain identified the plaques and tangles that today characterize Alzheimer's disease.
