Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that gradually destroys a person’s memory and ability to learn, reason, make judgments, communicate and carry out daily activities. As Alzheimer’s progresses, individuals may also experience changes in personality and behavior, such as anxiety, suspiciousness or agitation, as well as delusions or hallucinations. Alzheimer’s is named after a German doctor, named Dr. Alois Alzheimer. Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. He found abnormal clumps and tangled bundles of fibers. Today, these plaques and tangles in the brain are considered signs of Alzheimer’s. Scientists think that as many as 4.5 million Americans suffer from AD. The disease usually begins after age 60, and risk goes up with age. While younger people also may get AD, it is much less common. About 5 percent of men and women ages 65 to 74 have AD, and nearly half of those age 85 and older may have the disease. However, it is important to note, that Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging.

Diagnosis
Today, the only definite way to diagnose AD is to find out whether there are plaques and tangles in brain tissue. To examine the brain tissue, however, doctors usually must wait until they do an autopsy, which is an examination of the body done after a person dies. Therefore, doctors can only make a diagnosis of possible or probable Alzheimer, while the person is still alive. An early, accurate diagnosis of AD helps patients and their families plan for the future. It gives them time to discuss care while the patient can still take part in making decisions. Early diagnosis will also offer the best chance to treat the symptoms of the disease.

Signs & Symptoms

• Memory loss & difficulty in performing familiar tasks.
• Problems with language & the loss of initiative
• Disorientation to time and place
• Poor or decreased judgment.
• Problems with abstract thinking.
• Misplacing things
• Changes in mood or behavior and  personality.

Treatment
Though there is no cure for Alzheimer and nor anyway to slow the progression of the disease. For some people in the early or middle stages of AD, medication such as tacrine (Cognex) may alleviate some cognitive symptoms. Donepezil, rivastigmine (Exelon), and galantamine (Reminyl) may keep some symptoms from becoming worse for a limited time. A fifth drug, memantine (Namenda), was recently approved for use in the United States. Combining memantine with other AD drugs may be more effective than any single therapy. One controlled clinical trial found that patients receiving donepezil plus memantine had better cognition and other functions than patients receiving donepezil alone. Also, other medications may help control behavioral symptoms such as sleeplessness, agitation, wandering, anxiety, and depression.