Alzheimers

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that affects the brain; it is the most notable despite there being many other types of dementia that are age related. Affecting 10 percent of people over 65, Alzheimer's is a disease that causes a steady decline in memory; the ability to diagnose the problem however, has increased with an accuracy figure of approximately ninety percent. Discovered in 1906 by German physician Alois Alzheimer, the world's focus on this disease is only about 30 years old; even though it has been scientifically studied for many years, knowledge surrounding this disease is minimal.

According to studies, it is advancing age that is the greatest risk to developing Alzheimer's disease. 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.

Alzheimer's disease is currently treated exactly the same as other forms of dementia. Some drugs can now slow down and sometimes improve the symptoms but so far no treatment has been discovered that can cure the disorder. The three main medications currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatments of Alzheimer's disease are: Donepezil, Tacrine, and Rivastigmine. They have been shown to improve the cognition by about six months.

A new drug Memantine is proving to be effective in slowing down the mental deterioration seen in patients in the later stages of the disease. It is normally given to those on Donepezil who are suffering moderate to severe Alzheimer's. The side effects of using Memantine are low, and it's the first drug shown to have an effect on the symptoms of moderate to severe cases. More than 80 percent of the Memantine excreted are unchanged by the kidneys.

Owing to an increase in the life expectancy of people living in the industrialized world, Alzheimer's disease has become a major health issue and is the fourth largest cause of death in the United States. Although contracting the disease is a tragedy, the cost of treatment and care for sufferers is causing economic vibrations. There is already 40 billion American dollars spent every year on treatment and this amount is set to rise. Another large body, the National Institute on Aging spent almost half of its yearly budget on Research into the condition with scientists worldwide looking for a treatment for the disease.

One of the few factors that you can change to alter your risk of developing dementia is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. 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. This disease is still almost exclusively and aging condition and incidences of younger victims are rare.