Alzheimer's disease causes a progressive degeneration of the mind in the elderly; other types of dementia include Parkinson's disease and Huntingdon's - which isn't entirely restricted to the elderly. If you spent time with a person with Alzheimer's disease, you will see a gradual decay in their ability to remember; the problem in the past has been the accuracy of diagnosis which has gradually improved and is now up to 94 percent accurate. Although discovered just over a century ago by Alois Alzheimer, it is only during the last 30 years that research into this disease has increased; its effects are not fully understood even today with all the research that has been carried out.
Studies have shown that the greatest known risk for developing Alzheimer's is increasing age. Unfortunately, the person experiencing the early symptoms of Alzheimer's will know something is wrong but won't admit it to others or even to themselves; this can be a difficult time for family members who need to know what is wrong.
As far as treatment is concerned, Alzheimer's disease is treated in the same manner as other types of dementia. Unfortunately, because there is still so much that is unknown about the disease, there is no definite way to treat it although some symptoms can be improved or slowed down with drugs. The mental abilities of an Alzheimer's disease sufferer can be improved with the use of prescribed medication like Donepezil, Tacrine, and Rivastigmine; improvements have shown to help the average sufferer's cognitive abilities by up to six months.
Memantine is a new drug that slows deterioration during the later stages and is a derivative of the decades old anti-influenza drug Amantadine; this new drug is used on patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's already receiving Donepezil. Memantine is the first medicine to show such positive results with sufferers with few problems associated with its use; as 80 percent of the drug is passed in urine unchanged there is very little left to cause any harm.
Alzheimer's disease is considered to be a major public health challenge because the average age of the industrialized world's population is increasing. it is already the fourth largest killer in the United States. That is not the only problem because medical costs continue to increase and is something that needs some long term consideration; with an annual cost of 40 billion US dollars for care and treatment, looking after patients is set to be a major problem. The National Institute on Aging spends half of its annual funding on research into this age related disease; currently there are over 300 different compounds at various stages of development for its treatment.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is one proven method you can use to reduce the risks of contracting dementia. Researchers believe that a person suffering with Alzheimer's who maintains their health and happiness slows down the deteriorating effects. This disease is still almost exclusively and aging condition; there have however, been recent occasions (although rare) where a younger person has developed this condition.
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