Alzhemers Disease

P1-front cover  P2-index  P3  – introduction  P4-what causes it?  P5-treatment 

What is Alzheimer's disease?

 Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, which is a group of symptoms that are associated with an ongoing of mental abilities, such as memory and reasoning.

Alzheimer's disease attacks nerves, brain cells, and neurotransmitters (chemicals that carry messages to and from the brain). Although Alzheimer’s disease is often associated with increasing age, the exact cause is unknown.  Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive condition, which means that it will continue to get worse as it develops. Early symptoms include  

minor memory problems difficulty saying the right words

These symptoms change as Alzheimer’s disease develops, and it may lead to:   

confusion personality changes a total change in behaviour

What causes it?

So far, not one single factor has been identified as a cause for Alzheimer's disease. It is likely that a combination of many factors, including age, genetic inheritance, environmental factors, diet and overall general health, are responsible. In some people, this disease may develop silently for many years before symptoms appear. Age Age is the greatest risk factor for dementia. Dementia affects one in 14 people over the age of 65 and one in six over the age of 80. However, Alzheimer's is not restricted to elderly people in the UK; there are over 16,000 people under the age of 65 with dementia, although this figure is likely to be an underestimation. Genetic inheritance Many people fear that they may inherit Alzheimer's disease, and scientists are currently investigating the genetic background to Alzheimer's. We do know that there are a few families where there is a very clear inheritance of the disease from one generation to the next. This is often in families where the disease appears relatively early in life. In the vast majority of cases, however, the effect of inheritance seems to be small. If a parent or other relative has Alzheimer's disease, your own chances of developing the disease are only a little higher than if there were no cases of Alzheimer's in the immediate family. Environmental factors The environmental factors that may contribute to the onset of Alzheimer's disease have yet to be identified. A few years ago, there were concerns that exposure to aluminium might cause Alzheimer's disease. However, these fears have largely been discounted. Other factors Because of the difference in their make-up, people with Down's syndrome who live into their 50s and 60s may develop Alzheimer's disease. People who have had severe head or whiplash injuries also appear to be at increased risk of developing dementia. Boxers who receive continual blows to the head are at risk too. Research has also shown that people who smoke, and those who have high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels, increase their risk of developing Alzheimer's.

Treatment There is currently no cure for Alzheimer's disease. However, some drug treatments are available that can ameliorate the symptoms or slow down the disease progression in some people. People with Alzheimer's have been shown to have a shortage of the chemical called acetylcholine in A drug called Ebixa (trade name for the drug memantine) was launched in the UK in 2002. This drug works in a different way to the other three − it prevents the excess entry of calcium ions into brain cells. Excess calcium in the brain cells damages them and prevents them from receiving messages from other brain cells. Ebixa is the only drug that is suitable for use in people in the middle to later stages of dementia. Side-effects may include hallucinations, confusion, dizziness, headaches and tiredness. These drugs are not a cure, but they may stabilise some of the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease for a limited period of time. Some evidence suggests that dietary supplements of antioxidants, such as vitamins D and C, can reduce the prevalence of Alzheimer's. However, more recent studies have been unable to repeat this finding and further work is necessary to clarify the role that dietary supplements have in Alzheimer's disease.

Medicines Medicines called acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are used to help people with moderate Alzheimer's disease. However, they aren't very effective and most people get little benefit from them. They may slow down the progression of symptoms and delay the need for residential care. There are three types of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitors available:   

donepezil (Aricept) rivastigmine (Exelon) galantamine (Reminyl)

Another medicine, memantine (Ebixa), is for people in the late stages of Alzheimer's disease Sometimes, antidepressant medicines are prescribed to help treat the depression that can be associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Talking therapies Therapies Can also help you here is a list of something’s that may help

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group activities and discussions  – these aim to stimulate your mind (sometimes this is referred to as cognitive stimulation therapy) reminiscence therapy – this involves discussing past events in groups, usually using photos or familiar objects to jog your memory, although there are conflicting opinions on whether this is effective

How common is Alzheimer's disease?

Alzheimer's disease is most common in people who are over 65 years of age, and affects slightly more women than men. The Alzheimer’s Society estimates that one in 14 people who are over 65 years of age are affected by Alzheimer’s disease. The risk increases with age, and people who are over 80 years of age are thought to have a one in six chance of developing the condition. Dementia affects around 570,000 people in England, with Alzheimer’s disease responsible for around 60% of dementia cases. Dementia in people under 65 years of age, known as early-onset dementia, is less common. In the UK, around 2% of all dementia cases are earlyonset dementia.