What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?
The most common form of dementia affecting the elderly today is Alzheimer’s disease which is a degenerative disorder that gets progressively worse. This disease affects the memory centers of their brain but the ability to diagnose the problem has improved with an accuracy figure of approximately ninety percent.
Even now, this complex disease is not that well understood. Studies have shown that the greatest known risk for developing Alzheimer’s is increasing age. Unfortunately, the person experiencing the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s will know something is wrong but won’t admit it to others or even to themselves.
General measures for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease are the same as for all dementias. Stalling the progression and possibly improving the condition is about the best that can currently be achieved with drugs but no definitive treatment has yet been discovered. They can improve the cognitive skills of Alzheimer’s disease sufferers by up to six months.
It is normally given to those on Donepezil who are suffering moderate to severe Alzheimer’s. More than 80 percent of the Memantine excreted are unchanged by the kidneys.
Alzheimer’s disease is considered to be a major public health challenge since the average age of the industrialized world’s population is increasing. The cost of providing care and treating patients is already costing 40 billion dollars every year with this figure expected to increase. Last year alone, the National Institute on Aging spent nearly one-half of its budget on research related to this insidious disease.
One way to help lower the risk of dementia and one that you can have responsibility for is to change how you live by eating healthily and taking regular exercise. In fact researchers believe the happier and healthier someone is with Alzheimer’s, the slower his or her decline. There have been incidents where a younger person has contracted the disease but it is hoped these will not start to increase.
