Terminology

Alzheimers

Today, the condition is known as Alzheimer's disease (AD), or dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT). Some experts are starting to drop the apostrophe "s," calling the condition Alzheimer disease (paralleling the name change from Down's syndrome to Down syndrome), but most authorities continue to use the apostrophe "s" -- Alzheimer's disease.



Alzheimer's disease is sometimes called "pre-senile dementia," and sometimes "senile dementia." In medical jargon, the term "senile" simply means "old." In common usage, however, it denotes a loss of mental faculties. As a result, some people get confused by pre-senile dementia. In common usage, it seems like a contradiction in terms -- dementia before you've lost mental acuity. Actually, in medical jargon, "pre-senile" simply means "younger than 65". Doctors use pre-senile dementia to describe Alzheimer's disease that develops before age 65, and senile dementia for Alzheimer's that develops after 65. Either way -- pre-senile or senile -- it's the same disease.



The term "dementia" may cause problems as well. In common usage, "demented" often implies wildly out of control. In medical jargon, it simply describes a loss of cognitive function. Many people with Alzheimer's develop behavior problems, but some do not.

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