Why you need to know about Alzheimer’s disease
Saturday, May 17th, 2008Dementia is a hot topic and with an aging population it is not surprising that Alzheimer's disease takes center stage when age related conditions are discussed; being the most common progressive degenerative disorder makes it especially noteworthy. Affecting 10 percent of people over 65, Alzheimer's is a disease that causes a steady decline in memory; diagnosis of the condition has improved dramatically and is now approximately 87 – 94 percent accurate. The world started focusing on the disease only about thirty years ago although was first discovered in 1906 by Alois Alzheimer, a German physician; even now, not that much is known about this complex disease despite a great deal of investigation. Studies have shown that the greatest known risk for developing Alzheimer's is increasing age. Part of the problem in the early stages of Alzheimer's is the patient's reluctance to admit to anyone or themselves that they are experiencing problems; this can be difficult for friends and relations who do not know what the problem is.Dementia covers quite a broad spectrum of problems but they are all, including Alzheimer's disease, currently treated in a similar fashion. Despite the studies, there is no permanent treatment for the condition but there are a number of drugs which can help with the condition. The three main medications currently approved for treatments of Alzheimer's disease are: Donepezil, Tacrine, and Rivastigmine; these have helped many patients with improvements in their mental faculties although this is only in the short term.Recently, a drug called Memantine has proving to be effective in slowing down the mental decay seen in patients in the later stages of the disease; this new drug is used on patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's already receiving Donepezil. 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 is unchanged by the kidneys.Because people are living longer Alzheimer's disease has become a serious health problem that governments must face; this disease has risen to the status of fourth most lethal killer in America. That is not the only problem because medical costs continue to increase and is something that needs some long term consideration; with an annual cost of 40 billion US dollars for care and treatment, looking after patients is set to be a major problem. The National Institute on Aging spends half of its annual funding on research into this age related disease and even incorporated into american school rankings ; currently there are over 300 different compounds at various stages of development for its treatment.Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is one proven method you can use to reduce the risks of contracting dementia. Studies have also indicated that a number of Alzheimer's patients have reduced their rate of decline by staying healthy and happy. At the moment, the disease is still primarily affecting the aged; incidents of younger victims contracting the condition do occur, although these are rare.