Articles > Alzheimer's Disease Fact Sheet

We've all had times when we can't remember where we put our keys or when an appointment was supposed to be. These occasional memory lapses are a normal part of being human. So when should you worry about signs of Alzheimer's Disease? A simple example is: If you forgot where you put your glasses there is no great cause for concern ... but if you've forgotten you wear glasses you have significant reason to worry about your memory problem.

A more extensive list of Alzheimer's Symptoms is as follows: a chronic, progressively worsening problem accompanied by disorientation, problems with judgement, concentration, language and mathematical skills, physical coordination, and sleeplessness, the repetition of the same ideas or movements, the tendency to wander off and get lost, "sunsetting" or restlessness and wandering off in the late afternoon and night, dramatic personality changes, and eventually the loss of the ability to perform basic self-care functions.

Alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia that already affects millions of Americans and that is expected to affect millions more as the number of people over 50 continues to increase.

After heart disease, cancer, and stroke, Alzheimer's is the fourth leading cause of death among the elderly in developed nations. Alzheimer's is most common in people over the age of 65 and affects 11% of those over 65 and 25-50% of those over the age of 85. Although this disease is one of the most common types of dementia among the elderly, it is difficult to diagnose since Alzheimer's-like symptoms are common to many other diseases. Generally, a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is only 85 to 90% accurate, since the only definite diagnoses comes from an after-death biopsy of the diseased brain.

Those most at risk for Alzheimer's are the elderly. With advancing age, their risk of developing the disease increases to an alarming 47% by the age of 85. Family history also plays a role with 54% of those age 80 and over developing Alzheimer's if both parents had the disease. Alzheimer's Disease has increased 10-fold in this century and is sometimes referred to as "the disease of the 20th century," and it is projected to reach epidemic proportions.


Alzheimer's Diseases

What causes Alzheimer's? Why has it increased 10-fold in this century? Like many degenerative diseases, the cause has not been and maybe never will be isolated to just one or two factors. However, scientific research indicates that Alzheimer's occurs when nerve cells in several key areas of the brain are damaged or destroyed. These changes disrupt the normal flow of information between the body and the brain resulting in a steady decline in mental function. This mental destruction is most likely caused by the formation of the neurofibrillary tangles (knots) and senile plaques (clumps) that are commonly found in the diseased brain during an after-death biopsy. It is interesting to note that these plaques and knots only form in the areas of the brain that control memory and the retention of learned information.

What causes this damage? Current research can be summarized into the following areas:
• Genetic Factors
• Toxic Exposure
• Nutritional Disorders
• Free Radical Damage


How is Alzheimer's Diseases Treated?

Alzheimer's is a slow disease, starting with mild memory problems and ending with severe brain damage. The course the disease takes and how fast changes occur vary from person to person. On average, Alzheimer's patients live from 8 to 10 years after they are diagnosed, though the disease can last for as many as 20 years.

No treatment can stop Alzheimer's. However, for some people in the early and middle stages of the disease, the drugs tacrine (Cognex), donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon), or galantamine (Reminyl) may help prevent some symptoms from becoming worse for a limited time. Another drug, memantine (Namenda), has been approved for treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer's. Also, some medicines may help control behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer's such as sleeplessness, agitation, wandering, anxiety, and depression. Treating these symptoms often makes patients more comfortable and makes their care easier for caregivers.

Developing new treatments for Alzheimer's is an active area of research. Scientists are testing a number of drugs to see if they prevent Alzheimer's, slow the disease, or help reduce symptoms.

There is evidence that inflammation in the brain may contribute to Alzheimer's damage. Some scientists believe that drugs such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) might help slow the progression of Alzheimer's, although recent studies of two of these drugs, rofecoxib (Vioxx) and naproxen (Aleve), have shown that they did not delay the progression of Alzheimer's in people who already have the disease. Now, scientists are studying the NSAIDs celecoxib (Celebrex) and naproxen to find out if they can slow the onset of the disease.

Research has shown that vitamin E slows the progress of some consequences of Alzheimer's by about 7 months. Scientists now are studying vitamin E to learn whether it can prevent or delay Alzheimer's in patients with MCI.

Recent research suggests that ginkgo biloba may be of some help in treating Alzheimer's symptoms. There is no evidence that ginkgo will cure or prevent Alzheimer's. Scientists now are trying to find out whether ginkgo biloba can delay or prevent dementia in older people.

Recent findings from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) highlight the importance of clinical trials, which are studies to find out whether a treatment is both safe and effective. Earlier studies had suggested that the hormone replacement therapy that millions of women take after menopause may be protective against Alzheimer's. However, the WHI clinical trial found an increased risk of Alzheimer's in women taking hormones as compared with those taking an inactive pill. The trial used a commonly pre-scribed pill combining estrogens and progesterone.

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