Alzheimer’s disease; the most common progressive degenerative disorder

When the topic of dementia is brought up, the discussion will invariably turn towards Alzheimer’s disease; being the most common progressive degenerative disorder makes it especially noteworthy. Alzheimer’s disease gradually causes deterioration in the memory and is currently affecting one in ten of people aged 65 and over; the problem in the past has been the accuracy of diagnosis which has gradually improved and is now up to 94 percent accurate. Alois Alzheimer a German physician first discovered the disease back in 1906 but it has only really been in the world’s focus for just over 30 years; its effects are not fully understood even today with all the research that has been carried out.

Studies into the disorder have shown you have a grater chance of acquiring Alzheimer’s the older you become. Many people experiencing the first signs of Alzheimer’s are unwilling to admit to themselves or others that there is anything wrong.

At the moment all forms of dementia treatment are pretty much the same and that includes Alzheimer’s disease. 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. The mental abilities of an Alzheimer’s disease sufferer can be improved anything up to six months with the use of prescribed medication like Donepezil, Tacrine, and Rivastigmine. These drugs have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Memantine is showing a degree of success with sufferers in the later stages of Alzheimer’s. This drug slows down the mental deterioration so those already prescribed Donepezil with severe symptoms are now prescribed Memantine. Memantine is the first drug to show such positive results with sufferers who have moderate to severe symptoms. There are very few side effects and four fifths of it is passed out in urine unchanged by the kidneys.

As the fourth largest cause of death in America, Alzheimer’s disease is thought to be one of the largest public health problems. This is due to an increase in the life expectancy of the populations in the industrialized world. That is not the only problem, the annual cost of treating and care for sufferers is in excess of 40 billion dollars and is expected to rise well beyond this in the future. According to the National Institute on Aging, nearly half of its annual budget was spent on research into this awful disease last year alone. Currently there are hundreds of substances being tested for treatments around the world.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is one proven method you can use to reduce the risks of contracting dementia. Although not full proven yet, researchers studying Alzheimer’s patients have noticed that those who stay healthy and cheerful have slowed down the rate of decline. Fortunately this disease is still mainly affecting elderly people but there have been recent occasions where younger persons have developed this disease.

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