Definition of Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease is named after a German physician, Dr. Alois Alzheimer. This doctor discovered changes in a deceased mental patient's brain tissue-- abnormal "clumps", today called amyloid plaques, and tangled "bundles of fibers", or neurofibrillary tangles. More recent brain change discoveries with Alzheimer's disease include the death of nerve cells that control memory and areas of thinking. Also, chemicals that carry messages back and forth appear to be at lower levels in the brains of people with Alzheimer's.
Causes of Alzheimer's Disease
There is no definite single cause of Alzheimer's disease. Some possible factors that might raise a person's risk include:
- age--the number of people with Alzheimer's disease doubles every 5 years after the age of 65 (nearly ½ of all people ages 85+ have it)
- family history-- a certain risk factor gene has been identified (pertaining to protein production) in patients with late-onset Alzheimer's disease
- certain risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke (increased blood pressure, increased cholesterol)
Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease
Early on, Alzheimer's patients might display mild forgetfulness, such as forgetting names of people or things, or recent events, or not be able to solve simple math problems. People in the middle stages of AD can forget how to do tasks like brushing their hair. Recognition of familiar people or places can be lost. Speaking, reading, and/or writing may be affected. Later stages of Alzheimer's disease can cause aggression or anxiety. People eventually need complete care.
For more information, read Alzheimer's Disease Treatment and Diabetes Linked to Alzheimer's.
For related information, check out the Neurological ARTICLE INDEX and Blog.
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