The disease can begin many years before it is eventually diagnosed. In its early stages, short-term memory loss is the most common symptom, often initially thought to be caused by aging or stress by the sufferer. Later symptoms include confusion, anger, mood swings, language breakdown, long-term memory loss, and the general withdrawal of the sufferer as his or her senses decline. Gradually the sufferer loses minor, and then major bodily functions, until death occurs. Although the symptoms are common, each individual experiences the symptoms in unique ways. The duration of the disease is estimated as being between 5 and 20 years.

More than 4.5 million Americans are believed to have Alzheimer’s disease and by 2050, the number could increase to 13.2 million. Approximately 65,800 victims die and 350,000 new cases of Alzheimer’s disease are diagnosed each year. America is not alone in dealing with this terrible affliction. In every nation where life expectancy has increased, so has the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is becoming tragically common. It is estimated that there are currently 26 million people worldwide with Alzheimer’s disease. This figure is projected to grow to more than 106 million people by 2050.

The first sign of Alzheimer disease is a continuous pattern of forgetting things. This starts to affect a person’s daily life. He or she may forget where the grocery store is or the names of family and friends. This stage of the disease may last for some time or quickly progress, causing memory loss and forgetfulness to get worse.

Although some kinds of memory loss are normal parts of aging, the changes due to aging are not severe enough to interfere with the level of function. Many different diseases can cause dementia, but Alzheimer’s disease is by far the most common cause for dementia in the United States and in most countries in the world.

Dementia is a brain disorder that seriously affects a person’s ability to carry out daily activities. The most common form of dementia among older people is Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which initially involves the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language. Although scientists are learning more every day, right now they still do not know what causes AD, and there is no cure.

There is no cure for AD and no way 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 (Aricept), 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.

The likelihood of having Alzheimer’s disease increases substantially after the age of 70 and may affect around 50% of persons over the age of 85. Nonetheless, Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging and is not something that inevitably happens in later life. For example, many people live to over 100 years of age and never develop Alzheimer’s disease.

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.

The tracer, called Pittsburgh Compound-B, was used during a PET scan on a woman diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease 10 months before her death. The tracer showed plaque build-up in the same areas of the brain where plaques were found upon autopsy.

By: Corwin Brown

About the Author:

I am trying to care for my mother. She is in early stages of dementia, and becoming fairly difficult. The doctor, the counselor, and all my family members want me to put her in the nursing home. It tears my heart out to do this. I want to keep her home, but my family think I am crazy. Any input would be appreciated.

not one dollar for and alzheimers patient.just information,booklets and seminars,where do billions go?

Researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, along with colleagues in Maryland and California, said the new study provides more conclusive evidence of a link for the protein, called apoE4, to infectious diseases, namely HIV.

The report is in this week’s online Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research team studied a population of 1,300 European and African-American HIV-infected patients. The scientists compared HIV clinical outcomes of individuals who have two copies of the gene that makes the apoE4 protein with outcomes of those endowed with two copies of a gene that makes a related protein, apoE3. The latter differs from apoE4 by a single amino acid.

They found the subjects with two copies of apoE4 were more likely to have a twofold faster HIV disease course, noticeably marked by progression to death, than subjects with two copies that make apoE3.

“The prevailing view is that apoE4 plays a role only in non-infectious diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease , but we found clear evidence to the contrary,” said study co-author Sunil K. Ahuja, M.D., professor of medicine, microbiology, immunology and biochemistry at the UT Health Science Center and director of the Veterans Administration Research Center for AIDS and HIV-1 Infection in the South Texas Veterans Health Care System.

“These findings are very exciting because there are major efforts under way to find small molecules that make apoE4 more like apoE3,” said Hemant Kulkarni, M.D., a co-author from the UT Health Science Center.

“Such therapies might have application not only in Alzheimer’s disease but also HIV disease,” said Matthew Dolan, M.D., a co-author from Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio and a long-term collaborator of Dr. Ahuja.

Paper co-authors are Dr. Ahuja, Dr. Kulkarni, and Weijing He, M.D.; of the Health Science Center, and Dr. Dolan; Brian Agan, M.D.; and Vincent Marconi, M.D., of Wilford Hall Medical Center and the Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Program of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md. They performed the research with colleagues Robert W. Mahley, M.D., Ph.D., of the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco, and Trevor Burt, M.D., and Joseph M. McCune, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of California, San Francisco.

About Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a slowly progressive disease of the brain that is characterized by impairment of memory and eventually by disturbances in reasoning, planning, language, and perception. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, which afflicts 24 million people worldwide. Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging and is not something that inevitably happens in later life. It is rarely seen before the age of 65. The likelihood of having Alzheimer’s disease increases substantially after the age of 70 and may affect around 50% of persons over the age of 85.

By: Jeff Behar

About the Author:

Coping with my mother’s forgetfulness was easy in the early stages of her dementia. Things changed after she started to hallucinate. I was taking my mother back to her apartment in an assisted living community when she described one of her hallucinations.

“Last night four people came into my apartment and asked to live with me,” she began. “I told them it was my apartment and they couldn’t stay. I could see them clearly and then they slowly disappeared. It took me a while to realize they weren’t real.”

I didn’t want to upset my mother. What should I say? “It’s a good thing you figured that out,” I replied. Mom agreed with me.

Her hallucinations marked the start of sundowning – late afternoon and evening confusion in people with memory disease. Unfortunately, sundowning isn’t one behavior, it’s many: hallucinations, confusing dreams and reality, irrational ideas, agitation, wandering, and shadowing (following closely). The Alzheimer’s Association of Los Angeles says sundowning people “may become demanding, suspicious, upset or disoriented, see or hear things that are not there and believe things that aren’t true.”

My mother had all of these behaviors. She thought people were robbing her while she slept. She confused my childhood neighbors with her childhood neighbors. She started shadowing me, following me so closely I could feel her breath on my neck, and asking the same questions again and again. What are the causes of sundowning?

Physical and mental exhaustion are two causes, according to the national Alzheimer’s Association. Fading afternoon light and poor indoor lighting also contribute to sundowning. Daytime naps are another cause. (If you sleep half the day you’re awake at night.) And Mayo Clinic’s website says sundowning “may be related to the flurry of activity during shift changes.” Caregivers may take steps to prevent sundowning behaviors.

REVIEW MEDICATIONS. Prescribing medication for people with memory disease can be tricky. Some medications may contribute to sundowning, so the person’s physician should review all medications, prescribed and over-the-counter. Staff members should be informed of any harmful drug interactions. The patient’s physician may prescribe a sleep aid to prevent sundowning.

DISCOURAGE NAPPING. Naps may be replaced with walks, pet therapy, and group activities. After my mother lost the ability to read she enjoyed listening to stories. One reader chose a mystery. “I can’t tell you what the book is about,” my mother said, “but it’s very exciting.”

ENCOURAGE EXERCISE. Nancy L. Mace and Peter V. Rabins, MD, authors of “The 36-Hour Day,” think “sufficient exercise seems to help confused people sleep at night.” If the person can’t walk he or she may be able to stretch while seated. My mother participated in seated ball activities, but wasn’t impressed by them. “They asked me to throw and catch a ball,” she said. “I’m not a kid.”

AVOID CAFFEINE. People with memory disease should avoid caffeine: coffee, tea, caffeinated colas, and chocolate. They also shouldn’t drink alcohol. Marilyn Larkin, author of “When Someone You Love Has Alzheimer’s,” thinks even small amounts of alcohol “may contribute to the physical and mental deterioration of the person with Alzheimer’s.”

IMPROVE LIGHTING. Wandering people may be looking for the bathroom, so make sure all hallways are well lit. Night lights will also help the person find the bathroom and return safely. If you leave the bathroom light on make sure it doesn’t shine in the person’s eyes.

REDUCE BACKGROUND NOISE. Blaring television, loud radio, and crowd noise upset people with memory disease. Television and radio may be replaced with soothing CD music. Many nursing care facilities have a community volunteer who comes in to play the piano for residents.

BE REASSURING. If the person is worried about hallucinations tell them they are in a safe place.
Displaying photos of loved ones is also reassuring. The person with memory disease may prefer to sleep in a favorite chair instead of his or her bed. Caregivers may also reassure the person by offering to get them an extra blanket or robe.

Copyright 2006 by Harriet Hodgson.

By: Harriet Hodgson

About the Author:

Often seen in Alzheimer’s dementia patients, when they interact with objects that aren’t really there. It’s a very specific term used only in psych… and it’s driving me crazy that I can’t remember it! Please help.

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a devastating, mind-robbing affliction that is now the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. and the fifth leading cause of death for those over age 65. Within the next few years it will almost certainly kill the more than 5 million currently diagnosed AD sufferers.

Alzheimer’s disease research is going at full steam with hundreds of millions of dollars being spent annually to develop products for Alzheimer’s treatment and/or Alzheimer’s prevention.

As we better understand how AD develops and progresses, the research emphasis has largely shifted to Alzheimer’s Prevention. The hallmark indicator of AD is the development of beta-amyloid plaques and tau protein tangles in the brain. As these plaques and tangles develop, brain cells die. When enough of them die, symptoms of AD begin to appear.

AD appears to be a problem somewhat like Infantile Paralysis (Polio) or Hydrophobia (Rabies). Both of these do massive damage to the nervous system, brain, etc. such that once the disease can be diagnosed on the basis of its symptoms, the damage has already been done. Treatment wasn’t the solution; only prevention would work.

Similarly, with AD the damage to the victim’s neurological system, that causes the symptoms, is irreparable. We cannot restore lost brain cells, and even if we could, we could not replace the memories and neural paths that the lost cells had contained or been part of.

For this reason, although there are some types of Alzheimer’s treatment under development that show promise, the emphasis has largely shifted to prevention, or very early detection, as the way to go.

While pharmaceutical companies and the rest of the ethical drug industry are deeply involved in Alzheimer’s disease research, they are looking for patentable drugs, vaccines or other saleable solutions.

Other researchers are involved too, just looking for understanding. We now understand a great deal more than we did only a few years ago. Researchers looking at why some people get AD and others don’t are coming up with interesting findings that apply to prevention.

They have found that heredity plays a part, but the genetic link is much more of a predisposition than it is absolute cause. Environmental factors appear to play a larger role. In studies of identical twins researchers found that one twin might get AD while the other did not. Outside factors apparently triggered AD in one twin while leaving the other apparently O.K.

People with heart and circulation problems or with type 2 diabetes (usually brought on by being overweight), or whose lifestyles provide lower levels of physical and mental activity are more likely to get AD.

Heart-healthy, normal weight people who stay mentally and physically active are more likely to avoid AD altogether. Maintaining proper levels of certain B-vitamins in one’s bloodstream, taking certain nutrients in larger than usual quantities and many, many other factors seem to work to avoid AD.

As the clock ticks on while we wait for AD research results, what can we do? Sadly, the current reality is that the medical profession can do little more than make AD victims as comfortable as possible while they are dying. (Although there are some products being tested that show promise at slowing the progression of AD.)

That leaves Alzheimer’s prevention as the only real alternative available for those of us who want to avoid Alzheimer’s. Each of us needs to take action to affect the AD probabilities in our favor.

Our best chance for Alzheimer’s prevention is to “stack the deck” of environmental factors in our favor. We need to use wise lifestyle and nutritional choices to put ourselves firmly in the “less likely to contract AD” groups. Fortunately this is not difficult to do. All you need is to inform yourself and get started!

By: Jorge G. Chavez

About the Author:

Alzheimer’s disease follows a general pattern as it worsens over time. Learn what to expect as this common disease runs its course.Watch More Health Videos at Health Guru: www.healthguru.com

Do you get to be a top contributor by the quality or the quantity of your contributions? I’d assume if it was quality, they wouldn’t be made private.

My grandma is 94 with alzheimers and has lost alot of memory but otherwise is in pretty good health for her age. I don’t understand how alzheimers by itself kills people.