by Anne StClair

Created on: March 13, 2008   Last Updated: April 24, 2008

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a form of dementia. It was named after a German doctor, Alois Alzheimer, who in 1906 noticed unusual clumps and tangles of fiber in the brain of a woman who had died of mental illness. The clumps (amyloid plaques) and tangles (neurofibrillary tangles) are now recognized as characteristic of AD.

Scientists now recognize other changes in the brain in Alzheimer's disease. Nerve cells in areas vital to memory die, and connections between nerve cells in the brain are progressively broken. Some of the chemicals in the brain are found to be at low levels, which means areas in the brain cannot communicate with each other normally.

Alzheimer's disease symptoms include disruptions to thought processes, memory and language. Symptoms begin gradually, with simple forgetfulness (a symptom of normal aging), and difficulty doing simple math.

As the disease develops memory loss grows worse and begins to affect daily life. The person may forget how to do simple things like brush their hair, and may not recognize friends and acquaintances. Later on, the person may not recognize family members and may forget how to read and write. There are often mood swings, depression, confusion, and the person may wander and forget how to get home. The disease is eventually fatal after up to 20 years from diagnosis.

If Alzheimer's disease is suspected, your doctor will send you to a specialist for tests. The disease can only be diagnosed with certainty by brain examination after death, but the specialist has a range of tools to make a probable (90% certain) diagnosis. These tools include tests of memory, problem solving, language, and mathematical ability. Brain scans can help in the diagnosis, and blood, urine, and spinal cord fluids may also be tested.

After a positive diagnosis you should first realize you are not alone, and help is available. Your doctor may prescribe medication, and will give you information on how to cope with the disease.

Treatment for Alzheimer's disease varies from person to person, depending on the severity and stage of the disease. There is no cure yet, but drugs can help prevent symptoms from getting worse, at least for a time.

Alzheimer's disease medication available includes donepezil (Aricept), galantamine (Razadyne), rivastigmine (Exelon), and memantine (Namenda). Memantine works in a different way to the others, and may be used in combination with them. There are also many drugs to help control associated symptoms such as insomnia, anxiety and depression.

New drugs are constantly being developed, and stem cell research offers hope for the future by helping scientists understand the causes and progression of the disease.

The causes of Alzheimer's disease are not yet known, but aging is the most important factor. The percentage of people with AD doubles for every five years over 65. By 85, over fifty percent have the disease to some degree. A rare form (early onset) afflicting people over 30 and under 60 seems to be inherited, but there is no apparent genetic inheritance in the late onset form of the disease.

Alzheimer's disease information is available from the Alzheimer's Association on 1-800-272-3900, and from their website at: http://www.alz.org.

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