Alzheimer's
Learn its history and what Alzheimer's research has discovered so far. Also, consider investigating an Alzheimer's clinical trial here.
Small abnormalities, so-called amyloid plaques, and tau tangles formed in the brain and found in specific locations throughout are two distinguishing hallmarks of Alzheimer's Disease Dementia. Advanced testing, such as PET scans, MRI, DNA, and spinal fluid analysis, can shed invaluable light on the probability of Alzheimer's.
Alois Alzheimer was a German psychiatrist who discovered the pathological condition of Dementia and diagnosed the disease that bears his name. Alois was born in Marktbreit, Germany, in 1864 and showed an early aptitude for science.
After obtaining his medical degree, he worked in hospitals in Frankfurt, where he met Auguste Deter, a 51-year-old woman suffering from progressive short-term memory loss. He was eventually able to isolate the pathological causes of severe Dementia, work so extensive that the condition became known as Alzheimer's disease.
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Today, it is believed that "Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of Dementia among older people. Dementia is a brain disorder that seriously affects a person's ability to carry out daily activities.
AD begins slowly. It first involves the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language. People with AD may have trouble remembering things that happened recently or the names of people they know. A related problem, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), causes more memory problems than usual for people of the same age. Many, but not all, people with MCI will develop AD.
In AD, over time, symptoms get worse. People may not recognize family members or have trouble speaking, reading, or writing. They may forget how to brush their teeth or comb their hair. Later, they may become anxious or aggressive or wander away from home. Eventually, they need total care. This can cause great stress for family members who must care for them.
AD usually begins after age 60. The risk goes up as you get older. Your risk is also higher if a family member has had the disease. No treatment can stop the disease. However, some drugs may help keep symptoms from worsening for a limited time."
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You may also be interested to read about the IDEA Study and how the results suggested that about a third of those diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in the past, now, due to recent advancements in imaging, were found not to have Alzheimer's disease. Yes, they may have had significant cognitive impairments, but their cause was not necessarily Alzheimer's disease, and the treatment plan was altered accordingly.
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Lastly, a well-known study of nuns, lasting decades, has clearly indicated that some individuals can live cognitively intact, showing no signs or clues to significant degenerative changes, despite having the hallmarks of a Dementia pathology seen at their autopsy.
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Click below on the various terms to learn more about both common and more rare conditions, syndromes and diseases, that can cause, or include symptoms leading to Dementia: