Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), also known as Alzheimer disease, is the most common form of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include confusion, irritability, aggression, mood swings, trouble with language, and long-term memory loss. As a person’s condition declines they often withdraw from family and society. Although the speed of progression can vary, the average life expectancy following diagnosis is approximately seven years. Fewer than 3% of individuals live more than 14 years after diagnosis.
Alzheimer’s disease is classified as a neurodegenerative disorder, the cause and progression of which are poorly understood. The disease process appears to be associated with plaques and tangles in the brain. Initial symptoms are often mistaken for ‘age-related’ concerns, or manifestations of stress. The diagnosis is usually confirmed with tests that evaluate behavior and thinking abilities, often followed by a brain scan. Examination of brain tissue; Mental stimulation, exercise, and a balanced diet have been suggested as ways to delay cognitive symptoms (though not brain pathology) in healthy older individuals, but there is no conclusive evidence supporting an effect.
No treatments stop or reverse its progression, though some may temporarily lessen symptoms. Because AD is progressive, the affected person increasingly relies on others for assistancIt may place a great burden on caregivers; the pressures can be wide-ranging, involving social, psychological, physical, and economic elements of the caregiver’s life.
In 2006, there were 26.6 million people worldwide with AD. Alzheimer’s is predicted to affect 1 in 85 individuals globally by 2050. It was first described by (and later named after) German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906. In developed countries, AD is one of the most costly diseases to society. As of 2014, more than 1,500 clinical trials have been or are being conducted to test various treatments in AD.
