Alzheimer's Disease Treatment
Current Strategies for Diagnsosis, Treatment, and Research
In 2006, Alzheimer's disease is incurable. At the same time, early diagnosis, current drug therapies, and ongoing research can positively affect those with the condition.
Alzheimer's Diagnosis
Early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is very important for patients. It helps them be a part of the treatment and decision-making steps. It also allows patients the time to take symptom-treating medicines, which can enhance their quality of life.
Definite diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease can only be made during an autopsy, when brain "plaques" and "tangles" can be seen, but Alzheimer's can still be determined up to 90% correctly by checking memory, attention, counting, and language skills; daily functioning; and medical tests to rule out other illnesses.
Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's is currently incurable, but certain drugs can slow the impact of the disease. Patients live an average of 8-10 years after diagnosis, so patient and caregiver comfort is very important. The drugs Conex, Aricept, Exelon, and Razadyne are helpful for Alzheimer's patients with mild to moderate disease. They slow symptoms for a limited amount of time. Namenda is a drug used for moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease.
Areas of Current Alzheimer's Disease Research
- Brain scans-doctors are trying to detect Alzheimer's disease damage on images of patients' brains
- Alzheimer's genetics-do family members have an increased risk of developing the disease?
- Treating inflammation-can anti-inflammatory drugs (such as Aleve) help stop the inflammation and damage caused by Alzheimer's disease?
- Alternative therapies -antioxidants, ginko biloba, estrogen used for Alzheimer's treatment
For more information, read Alzheimer's Disease Definition.
For related information, check out the Neurological ARTICLE INDEX and Blog.
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