This disease has become the most discussed of all types of dementia. Currently affecting 10 percent of people over 65, Alzheimer’s is a disease that causes a steady decline in memory with diagnosis now approximately 87 to 94 percent accurate.
Even now, this complex disease is not that well understood. Getting older is the main risk surrounding Alzheimer’s according to research. Part of the problem in the early stages of Alzheimer’s is the patient’s reluctance to admit to anyone or themselves that they are experiencing problems.
As far as treatment is concerned, Alzheimer’s disease is treated in the same manner as other types of dementia. Unfortunately, because there is still so much that is unknown about the disease, there is no definite way to treat it although some symptoms can be improved or slowed down with drugs. At the moment, three drugs are used routinely to treat sufferers all of which have been approved by the FDA, Donepezil, Tacrine, and Rivastigmine.
This new drug is used on patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s already receiving Donepezil. The side effects of using Memantine are low, and it’s the first drug shown to have an effect on the symptoms of moderate to severe cases.
This is due to an increase in the life expectancy of the populations in the industrialized world. There is also an economic aspect to consider, with an annual cost of 40 billion US dollars for care and treatment. Global testing into various treatments are currently being investigated.
One of the few factors that you can change to alter your risk of developing dementia is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Some researchers into the disease have found that patients who are happy and healthy with Alzheimer’s, slow down the rate of their mental decline. This disease is still almost exclusively and aging condition and incidences of younger victims are rare.
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