Today's News About Alzheimer's Disease

What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?

At the present time there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, though it is the most common form of dementia. In 1906, German physician, Alois Alzheimer, first described the disease. It was later named for him. The number of people with this brain disorder is growing rapidly.

Alzheimer’s demolishes brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. However, this disease isn’t just about losing your memory, it’s a progressive and fatal disease.

Especially sobering is the fact that Alzheimer’s disease has surpassed diabetes to become the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States.

Even more chilling facts about Alzheimer’s:

• As many as 5.2 million people are already living with Alzheimer’s in the United States.
• In their lifetime, 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer's.
• About every 71 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s.
• Alzheimer's and other dementias costs to Medicare, Medicaid and businesses, both directly and indirectly, amount to more than $148 billion each year.

Perhaps the most surprising of these facts is that people are getting diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at much earlier ages now. Just last year, over 500,000 people under 65 years of age were diagnosed, and even more startling, some of those were in their 20’s and 30’s.

What Causes Alzheimer’s Disease

Naturally our brains age as we get older, just as the rest of our body does. However, the brain of someone with Alzheimer’s shows far greater changes than usual.

To start with, consider that the brain has 100 billion nerve cells (neurons). Each nerve cell communicates with many others to form networks. These networks each have special jobs. There are networks for thinking. Some are used for remembering and learning. Some of the networks control our muscle movement. Still others help us to smell, see and hear.

In the sense that each nerve cell network needs to take in supplies, generate energy and make something, they operate like a little factory. Each network also needs to process and store information, plus get rid of waste from all the work it's done.

In people with Alzheimer’s for some reason the nerve networks cell factories quit working correctly. One part of the system breaking down creates a domino effect that soon has other parts in trouble as well. The cells eventually can no longer do their job and die.

Though scientists don’t yet completely understand the process, they have two prime suspects for this sabotage.

1. Between nerve cells the plaques build up. They contain deposits of a protein fragment called beta-amyloid (BAY-tuh AM-uh-loyd).
2. Tangles are made of another protein called tau (rhymes with "pow", and are twisted fibers. The tangles are found forming inside dying cells.

Though most people develop some plaques and tangles as they age, those with Alzheimer’s tend to develop far more. Beginning in areas important in learning and memory and then spreading to other regions, the plaques and tangles tend to form in a predictable pattern.Disrupting activities the cells need to survive, the plaques and tangles are believed to somehow block communication among nerve cells.

What To Look For With Alzheimer's Disease

A list of warning signs for Alzheimer’s Disease has been developed by The Alzheimer’s Association. They include the following:

1. Memory loss.
2. Difficulty performing familiar tasks.
3. Language problems.
4. Disorientation to time and place.
5. Judgment decreased or poor.
6. Having problems with abstract thinking.
7. Putting things in the wrong place.
8. Mood or behavior changes.
9. Changes in personality.
10. There's a loss of initiative.

For a more complete explanation of the warning signs, visit The Alzheimer’s Association’s website.

It's important part of caring for your health to learn about Alzheimer’s, what signs to look for and how it affects people and keep up with the latest health news. Keeping in mind that younger people are now getting this disease, it’s never too early to learn about Alzheimer’s!