Of all the different types of dementia that affect the elderly, it is Alzheimer’s disease which causes the most concern; other types of dementia include Parkinson’s disease and Huntingdon’s - which isn’t entirely restricted to the elderly. If you spent time with a person with Alzheimer’s disease, you will see a gradual decay in their ability to remember.
The problem in the past has been the accuracy of diagnosis which has gradually improved and is now up to 94 percent accurate. Discovered in 1906 by German physician Alois Alzheimer, the world’s focus on this disease is only about 30 years old; even though it has been scientifically studied for many years, knowledge surrounding this disease is minimal.
Studies show that your greatest risk of acquiring Alzheimer’s is advancing age. The problem of early diagnosis is often down to the sufferer, who refuses to admit that anything is wrong even when they start to experience some of the symptoms; this can be difficult for friends and relations who do not know what the problem is, or what actions or care they should take.
Alzheimer’s disease is currently treated exactly the same as other forms of dementia. Despite the studies, there is no permanent treatment for the condition but there are a number of drugs which can help with the condition. The three main medications currently approved for treatments of Alzheimer’s disease are: Donepezil, Tacrine, and Rivastigmine; all of these have been shown to improve the cognition by about half a year.
A new drug, Memantine is helping to slow down the mental decline during the later phases and is similar to the anti-influenza treatment Amantadine; patients with mild to severe Alzheimer’s who are already receiving Donepezil are now given Memantine as an alternative. Memantine is the first medicine to show such positive results with sufferers with few problems associated with its use; as 80 percent of the drug is passed in urine unchanged there is very little left to cause any harm.
Because people are living longer Alzheimer’s disease has become a serious health problem that governments must face; in the United States it is fourth in the list of fatal diseases. There is also an economic aspect of caring for patients to consider, something that will affect governments everywhere; with a current figure for medical treatment and care at 40 billion dollars a year.
Looking after patients for care and treatment, is set to be a major problem. Last year alone, the National Institute on Aging spent nearly one-half of its funding on research related to this insidious disease; currently there are over 300 different compounds at various stages of development for its treatment.
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. Fortunately this disease is still mainly affecting people over the age of 60; incidents of younger victims contracting the condition do occur, although these are rare.