Facts About Alzheimer’s Disease

What Exactly 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 incidence of Alzheimer’s disease is growing rapidly.

Alzheimer’s destroys brain cells, In turn, this causes problems with thinking, memory, and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. People with this disease not only lose their memory, but this is a progressive and fatal disease.

So prevalent is Alzheimer’s disease that it 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.
• 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s in their lifetime.
• Someone develops Alzheimer’s every 71 seconds.
• The costs of of Alzheimer’s and other dementias, both directly and indirectly, to Medicare, Medicaid and businesses amount to more than $148 billion each year.

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

The Causes Of Alzheimer’s Disease

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

To begin with, consider that the brain has 100 billion nerve cells (neurons). Each nerve cell communicates with many others to form networks and these networks have special jobs. There are networks for thinking. Some are used for remembering and learning. Other networks control our muscle movements, while still more work to help us see, smell and hear.

Like a tiny factory, each of these nerve cell networks need to take in supplies. Then they must generate energy, construct something and get rid of waste. Each network must also process and store information.

For some reason, in people with Alzheimer’s the nerve networks cell factories quit working correctly. When the system breaks down in one place, it produces a “ripple in the pond” effect that soon cause other parts to have problems as well. After a while, the cells can no longer do their job and die.

The process isn’t totally understood yet by scientists, but they have two prime suspects for the cause of these problems.

1. The plaques build up between the nerve cells. Plaques have deposits of a protein fragment called beta-amyloid (BAY-tuh AM-uh-loyd).
2. Tangles are twisted fibers formed from another protein called tau (rhymes with “now”). The tangles are found forming inside dying cells.

It’s true most people develop some plaques and tangles as they age. However, those with Alzheimer’s disease tend to develop far more than is usual. Starting with areas important in learning and memory and then spreading to other regions, the plaques and tangles tend to form in a predictable pattern.These plaques and tangles are believed to somehow block communication among the nerve cells. They also disrupt activities that cells need to do to survive.

Be Watchful For These Signs Of Alzheimer’s Disease

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

1. Memory loss.
2. Having difficulty performing familiar tasks.
3. Language problems.
4. Disorientation to place and time.
5. Poor or decreased judgment.
6. Problems with abstract thinking.
7. Misplacing things.
8. Having changes in mood or behavior.
9. Differences in personality.
10. A loss of initiative.

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

Take good care of your health by learning about Alzheimer’s, what signs to look for and how it affects people, and keep up with the latest health news. Considering younger people are getting this disease, it’s never too early to learn about Alzheimer’s!