What Is Alzheimer's Disease?
Alzheimers
Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder which gradually destroys the ability to reason, remember, imagine, and learn. It's different from the mild forgetfulness normally observed in older people. Over the course of the disease, people with Alzheimer's no longer recognize themselves or much about the world around them. Depression, anxiety, and paranoia often accompany these symptoms. Although there is no cure, new treatments help lessen Alzheimer's symptoms and slow its progression.
Alzheimer's is marked by abnormal clumps (called senile plaques) and irregular knots (called neurofibrillary tangles) of brain cells. For reasons not well understood, these plaques and tangles take over healthy brain tissue, devastating the areas of the brain associated with intellectual function.
Over four million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer's disease, which is the most common form of dementia. Experts predict that as baby boomers age, Alzheimer's may affect as many as 14 million people nationwide. Alzheimer's is widespread, affecting 10% or more of those over age 65 and nearly half of those over age 85. Slightly more women than men have Alzheimer's disease. Its increasing prevalence has led epidemiologists to call Alzheimer's "the disease of the century."
While Alzheimer's disease usually affects those over age 65, a rare and aggressive form of Alzheimer's can happen in some people in their 40s and 50s. Alzheimer's disease progresses slowly, taking between three to 18 years to advance from the earliest symptoms to death; the average duration of the disease is eight years. Death results not from the disease itself but from some secondary illness such as pneumonia or urinary tract infection. Right now, treatment of Alzheimer's disease focuses on slowing its progression and coping with its symptoms.
In the early and middle stages of Alzheimer's disease, people with the illness may be painfully aware of their intellectual failings and what is yet to come. At this stage and throughout the course of the illness, it's vitally important to support their mental and emotional well-being with the help of their doctor, social worker, or psychological counselor. Show them love, affection and warmth as they make their journey.