Alzheimer's Disease

Medical Author: Howard Crystal, MD
Medical Editors: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR and Jay W. Marks, MD

Previous Contributing Medical Author: Yuri Bronstein, M.D. and Medical Editor: Stefan M. Pulst, M.D.

• What is dementia?
• What is Alzheimer's disease?
• Who develops Alzheimer's disease?
• What are the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease?
• Ten warning signs of Alzheimer's disease
• What are the causes Alzheimer's disease?
• What are risk factors for Alzheimer's disease?
• How is the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease made?
• What is the prognosis of a person with Alzheimer's disease?
• What treatment and management options are available for Alzheimer's disease?
• Cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs)
• Partial glutamate antagonists
• Non-medication based treatments
• Treatment of psychiatric symptoms
• Potential and future therapies for Alzheimer's disease
• Caring for the caregiver and Alzheimer's disease resources
• Alzheimer's Disease At A Glance
• Patient Discussions: Alzheimer's Disease - Describe Your Experience

Caring for Someone with Alzheimer's Medical Author: Frederick Hecht, M.D. Medical Editor: Barbara K. Hecht, Ph.D. Caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease takes its toll. According to the first detailed study ever done of caregivers and the end of life, family members looking after a relative with dementia have higher levels of depression, and greater need for support while they are providing end-of-life care than they do after a period of bereavement. Depression often results when a family caregiver, who endures high levels of stress, is unable to alleviate the suffering of a loved one," said Dr. Richard Schulz, the University of Pittsburgh, who led the study which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine (1). Home caregivers usually begin to recuperate from their depression within three months after the death of their loved one with dementia, and the improvement they experience tends to continue for a year. Knowing that the patient's death marks the end of his or her suffering may help cushion the blow of losing the loved one. More than 60% of the home caregivers in the study said they thought the patient was in pain often or most of the time prior to death, 72% of caregivers said they were somewhat or strongly relieved by the relative's death. and more than 90% said they thought that death would be a relief to the patient. On Duty 24 Hours a Day The research focused on 217 family caring for relatives with dementia during the year before the patient's death and after death. Read the rest of article » Top Searched Alzheimer's Disease Terms: causes of Alzheimer's, Alzheimer's research , Alzheimer's symptoms, Alzheimer's medications, Alzheimer's diagnosis, coping with Alzheimer's, Alzheimer's treatment

What is dementia?

Dementia is a syndrome characterized by:

1. impairment in memory,

2. impairment in another area of thinking such as the ability to organize thoughts and reason, the ability to use language, or the ability to see accurately the visual world (not because of eye disease), and

3. these impairments are severe enough to cause a decline in the patient's usual level of functioning.

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.

What is 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. Many scientists believe that Alzheimer's disease results from an increase in the production or accumulation of a specific protein (beta-amyloid protein) in the brain that leads to nerve cell death.

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.

Alzheimer's Disease - Describe Your Experience

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