Definition
Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressive and fatal brain disease. Two abnormal structures in an aging brain, called plaques and tangles, are suspected by scientists of damaging and killing nerve cells, destroying brain cells, causing memory loss, and progressive and severe thinking and behavioral changes. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases. Currently it has no cure.
Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease
There are ten major signs of Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association:
- Memory loss that disrupts daily life
- Challenges in planning or solving problems
- Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure
- Confusion with time or place
- Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships
- New problems with words in speaking or writing
- Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
- Decreased or poor judgment
- Withdrawal from work or social activities
- Changes in mood and personality
Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s. There are a number of treatments for symptoms, however:
- Medications for early and mid-stage progression
- Clinical trials of new, breakthrough medicines and treatments
- Behavioral education and medications