Facing the Alzheimer’s Facts
Jonathan DenbyRepublished from RemedyLife.com
Provided by the National Institute on Aging
By Jonathan Denby
Alzheimer’s disease is devastating to both patients and their families. Affecting almost 5 million people in the United States, Alzheimer’s is marked by the disruption of emotions and the gradual loss of thought, memory and language; it can eventually be fatal. While there currently is no cure, various treatments are available, and new studies suggest ways to reduce one’s chances of developing the disease. The National Institute on Aging (NIA), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), supplied this information.
1. What is Alzheimer's?
Dementia is a brain disorder that seriously affects a person’s ability to carry out daily activities. The most common form of dementia among older people is Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which initially involves the parts of the brain that control thought, memory and language. Although scientists are learning more every day, right now they still do not know what causes AD, and there is no cure.
AD is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German doctor. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. He found abnormal clumps (now called amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of fibers (now called neurofibrillary tangles). Today, these plaques and tangles in the brain are considered signs of AD.
Scientists also have found other brain changes in people with AD. Nerve cells die in areas of the brain that are vital to memory and other mental abilities, and connections between nerve cells are disrupted. There also are lower levels of some of the chemicals in the brain that carry messages back and forth between nerve cells. AD may impair thinking and memory by disrupting these messages.
2. What causes Alzheimer's?
Scientists do not yet fully understand what causes AD. There probably is not one single cause, but several factors that affect each person differently. Age is the most important known risk factor for AD. The number of people with the disease doubles every five years beyond age 65.
Though scientists do not yet fully understand what causes AD, the brains of AD patients have an abundance of two abnormal structures—amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles—that are made of misfolded proteins. This is especially true in certain regions of the brain that are important in memory. For many years, scientists have known about plaques and tangles and what they are made of, but recent research has provided new insights about how they form and their possible roles in AD. The other main feature of AD is the loss of connections between neurons (nerve cells), diminished cell function and neuronal death. To stay healthy, neurons must be able to connect and communicate with each other. AD first weakens and then eliminates that ability.
3. Who is most affected by Alzheimer's?
Studies indicate that up to 4.5 million Americans may suffer from AD. The disease usually begins after age 60, and risk goes up with age. While younger people also may get AD, it is much less common. About 5 percent of men and women ages 65 to 74 have AD, and nearly half of those age 85 and older may have the disease. It is important to note, however, that AD is not a normal part of aging.
4. What are the symptoms of Alzheimer's?
AD begins slowly. At first, the only symptom may be mild forgetfulness, which can be confused with age-related memory change. Most people with mild forgetfulness do not have AD. In the early stage of AD, people may have trouble remembering recent events, activities, or the names of familiar people or things. Such difficulties may be a bother, but may not be serious enough to cause alarm.
However, as the disease goes on, symptoms are more easily noticed and become serious enough to cause people with AD or their family members to seek medical help. Forgetfulness begins to interfere with daily activities. People in the middle stages of AD may forget how to do simple tasks like brushing their teeth or combing their hair. They can no longer think clearly. They can fail to recognize familiar people and places. They begin to have problems speaking, understanding, reading or writing. Later on, people with AD may become anxious or aggressive, or wander away from home. Eventually, patients need total care.
5. How can someone tell if a loved one is suffering from Alzheimer's as opposed to senility or dementia?
The term "dementia" describes a group of symptoms that are caused by changes in brain function. Dementia symptoms may include asking the same questions repeatedly; becoming lost in familiar places; being unable to follow directions; getting disoriented about time, people and places; and neglecting personal safety, hygiene and nutrition. People with dementia lose their abilities at different rates.
Dementia is caused by many conditions. Some conditions that cause dementia can be reversed, and others cannot. The two most common forms of dementia in older people are Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia (commonly caused by a major stroke or series of small strokes). These types of dementia are irreversible.
Reversible conditions with symptoms of dementia can be caused by a high fever, dehydration, vitamin deficiency and poor nutrition, bad reactions to medicines, problems with the thyroid gland or a minor head injury. Medical conditions like these can be serious and should be treated by a doctor as soon as possible.
Sometimes older people have emotional problems that can be mistaken for dementia. Feeling sad, lonely, worried or bored may be more common for older people facing retirement or coping with the death of a spouse, relative or friend. Adapting to these changes leaves some people feeling confused or forgetful. Emotional problems can be eased by supportive friends and family, or by professional help from a doctor or counselor.
The seven warning signs of Alzheimer's disease are:
1. Asking the same question over and over again.
2. Repeating the same story, word for word, again and again.
3. Forgetting how to cook, or how to make repairs, or how to play cards — activities that were previously done with ease and regularity.
4. Losing one's ability to pay bills or balance one's checkbook.
5. Getting lost in familiar surroundings, or misplacing household objects.
6. Neglecting to bathe, or wearing the same clothes over and over again, while insisting that they have taken a bath or that their clothes are still clean.
7. Relying on someone else, such as a spouse, to make decisions or answer questions they previously would have handled themselves.
6. What risk factors are associated with Alzheimer's?
Age is the most well-known risk factor for AD. The number of people with the disease doubles every five years beyond age 65.
Family history is another risk factor. Scientists believe that genetics may play a role in many AD cases. For example, early-onset familial AD, a rare form of AD that usually occurs between the ages of 30 and 60, is inherited. The more common form of AD is known as late-onset. It occurs later in life, and no obvious inheritance pattern is seen in most families. However, several risk factor genes may interact with each other and with non-genetic factors to cause the disease. The only risk factor gene identified so far for late-onset AD is a gene that makes one form of a protein called apolipoprotein E (ApoE). Everyone has ApoE, which helps carry cholesterol in the blood. Only about 15 percent of people have the form that increases the risk of AD. It is likely that other genes also may increase the risk of AD or protect against AD, but they remain to be discovered.
7. What options are available to someone who suffers from Alzheimer's?
No treatment has been proven to stop AD. However, for some people in the early and middle stages of the disease, the drugs donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon), or galantamine (Razadyne, formerly known as Reminyl) may help prevent some symptoms from becoming worse for a limited time in some patients. In addition, memantine (Namenda) has been approved to treat moderate to severe AD, although it also is limited in its effects. The FDA recently approved the use of donepezil to treat moderate to severe AD.
Also, some medicines may help control behavioral symptoms of AD such as sleeplessness, agitation, wandering, anxiety and depression. Treating these symptoms often makes patients more comfortable and makes their care easier for caregivers.
8. Recent studies suggest that memory training, brain exercises and physical exercise can both help prevent Alzheimer’s and help patients. What’s the story?
Accumulating evidence suggests that being physically active may benefit more than just our hearts and waistlines. Research in older animals has shown that both physical and mental function improve with aerobic fitness. Studies in aging adults have shown similar results. One study used MRI to measure changes in brain activity in healthy adults aged 58 to 78 before and after a six-month program of brisk walking. The researchers found that improvements in the participants’ cardiovascular fitness were associated with increased functioning in certain regions of the brain. Compared to a physically inactive group, the walkers were able to pay attention better and focus more clearly on goals while disregarding unimportant information.
In another study, investigators studied the relationship of physical activity and mental function in nearly 6,000 healthy women 65 years old and older over a period of up to eight years. The investigators found that the women who were more physically active were less likely to experience a decline in their mental function than were inactive women. The NIA is currently funding several clinical trials that are studying the effects of physical activity programs on the cognitive abilities and brain function of healthy older adults and older adults with mild cognitive impairment.
Scientists have speculated about why physical activity may help our brains as much as our bodies. It may be that physical activity improves blood flow to the brain so that it responds better to a task. Or, it may activate cellular mechanisms that improve brain function. However, we still don’t know whether physical activity can actually prevent cognitive decline or postpone the development of AD, especially in people with a high genetic risk.
Studies also have shown that keeping the brain active is associated with reduced AD risk. In the Religious Orders Study, for example, investigators periodically asked more than 700 participants to describe the amount of time they spent in seven activities that involve significant information processing. These activities included listening to the radio, reading newspapers, playing puzzle games, and going to museums. After following the participants for four years, investigators found that the risk of developing AD was 47 percent lower, on average, for those who did the activities most frequently than for those who did them least frequently. Other studies have shown similar results. In addition, a growing body of research, including other findings from the Religious Orders Study, suggests that, even in the presence of AD plaques, the more formal education a person has, the better his or her memory and learning ability.
Another NIA-funded study also supports the value of lifelong learning and mentally stimulating activity. In this study of healthy older people and people with possible or probable AD, scientists found that during their early and middle adulthood, the healthy older people had engaged in more mentally stimulating activities and spent more hours doing them than did those who ultimately developed AD.
The reasons for these findings aren’t entirely clear, but scientists have come up with four possibilities:
- These activities may protect the brain in some way, perhaps by establishing a “cognitive reserve.”
- Perhaps these activities help the brain become more adaptable and flexible in some areas of mental function so that it can compensate for declines in other areas.
- Less engagement with other people or in intellectually stimulating activities could be the result of very early effects of the disease rather than its cause.
- Perhaps people who engage in these activities have other lifestyle features that may protect them against developing AD.
The only way to really evaluate some of these possibilities is by testing them in a controlled way in a clinical trial. Several clinical trials have directly examined whether memory training and similar types of mental skills training can actually improve the cognitive abilities of healthy older adults and people with mild AD. In the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) trial, certified trainers provided 10 sessions of memory training, reasoning training, or speed of processing training to healthy adults 65 years old and older. The sessions improved participants’ mental skills in the area in which they were trained. Even better, some of these improvements persisted for at least five years after the training was completed. In another study, 25 participants with mild AD worked with researchers to learn how to improve their ability to carry out various tasks, such as how to put names and faces together, recall the names of objects, and pay bills correctly. Compared to another group with mild AD who received more generic mental stimulation activities, people in the “cognitive rehabilitation” group improved their abilities more, and their abilities were still improved three months later.
9. Where can I get more information?
Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center
800-438-4380
nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers
The National Institute on Aging Information Center
800-222-2225
nia.nih.gov
Reader Comments (7)
It's an article about Dementia that is really good!! Thanks!
I also have a blog about Dementia too. Come visit me sometimes^_^
Dementia Symptoms
These jerseys men football jerseys which are interestingly termed retro basketball jerseys sports jerseys store are old school. Here is an example,football jerseys for youth men football jerseys, Brazil Team World Cup Soccer Jersey Kobe’s jersey at the present time, but the Lakers look 20 years ago. That would be an example of the throwback kind. Sports stars put them on now and again during games also.
Most of these jerseys NBA basketball jerseys state they’re replicas,Designer Handbags sports jerseys store, yet in fact aren’t. They are the cheapest ones cheap nike shoxmen basketball jerseysout there. They’ve screen imprinted lettering, Women's Handbags additionally are made of the least expensive fabrics availableNike Nike Air Max Shoes.
mbt shoes
mbt sneakers
mbts
new mbts
mbts sell
mbt sneakers
mbt 2010
mbt UK
mbt US
Cheap MBTs
mbt Shoes Discount
mbt shoes On Sale
MBT Trainers
new mbt shoes
buy mbt
mbt
authentic mbt shoes
mbts discount
buy mbt shoes
Cheap MBT shoes
mbt sneakers store
jordan retro
jordan sneakers
cheap jordan
jordans sale
new jordans
air jordan
Jordan retro
new jordans
jordan sneakers
cheap jordan
jordans sale
air jordan
ugg
uggs
uggs on sale
uggs sale
cheap uggs
cheap ugg boots
ugg boots cheap
uggs for cheap
want to athletic nike shoe salemake a backlink!discount nike shoes salemay i?
thank you,havechristian louboutin outlet a nice day! new jordan shoes 2009hermes
handbags is nike basketball shoesvery popular mbt mens shoesin most area of the
world, especially nike hi top shoesthe developed discount nikes shoescountries
where the new nike shoespeople could mbt walking shoesafford to buy hermes handbags
from Hermes vibrams five fingers shoesonline store. With discount mbt shoesthe
development of new nike shoes 2010electronic nike high top dunksbusiness, more
and more people hot pink nikeslike to buy hermes brand new jordan shoeshandbags
from hermes online discount christian louboutin store where could offer people the most precious price and top quality service.