| 30 May |
What is Alzheimers? |
When we mention dementia, the first condition to enter our minds might be Alzheimer’s, it has become the most notable despite there being many other types. Alzheimer’s is a disease that gradually causes a deterioration in the memory with diagnosis accuracy between 87 and 94 percent.
Alois Alzheimer a German physician first discovered the disease back in 1906 but it has only really been in the world’s focus for just over 30 years. Getting older is the main risk surrounding Alzheimer’s according to research. The problem of early diagnosis is often down to the sufferer, who refuses to admit that anything is wrong even when they start to experience some of the symptoms.
General measures for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease are the same as for all dementias. 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. At the moment, three drugs are used routinely to treat sufferers all of which have been approved by the FDA, Donepezil, Tacrine, and Rivastigmine.
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. More than 80 percent of the Memantine excreted are unchanged by the kidneys.
The average age of a person living in the industrialized world is increasing. That is not the only problem, the annual cost of treating and care for sufferers is in excess of 40 billion dollars and is expected to rise well beyond this in the future. Nearly half the annual budget was spent on research into the disease last year by the National Institute of Aging.
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. At the moment, the disease is still primarily effecting the elderly but there have been incidences of people contracting it before the age of 60.