Getting A Grip On Alzheimer's Disease

What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Despite the fact it is the most prevalent form of dementia, there is currently has no cure for Alzheimer’s. It was named for German physician, Alois Alzheimer, who first described the disease in 1906. The number of people with this brain disorder is growing rapidly.

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

The sad fact is that Alzheimer’s disease has surpassed diabetes to become the sixth-leading cause of death in the United State.

Even more chilling facts about Alzheimer’s:

• As many as 5.2 million people in the United States are already living with Alzheimer’s.
• 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer's in their lifetime.
• Every 71 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s.
• Between both direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer's and other dementias to Medicare, Medicaid and businesses 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. Last year over 500,000 people under 65 years of age were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Even more shocking, some of those were in their 20’s and 30’s.

What Causes Alzheimer’s Disease

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

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

Each of these nerve cell networks can be compared to a tiny factory in the sense they need to take in supplies, generate energy, construct something, get rid of waste plus process and store information.

In people with Alzheimer’s the nerve networks cell factories quit working correctly for some reason. After one part of the system breaks down. soon it ripples out to other parts of the system and they have problems as well. After a while, the cells 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. There are plaques that build up between the nerve cells. Plaques 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.

It's true that most people develop some plaques and tangles as they age, however, those with Alzheimer’s tend to develop far more. Beginning in areas important in learning and memory and then spreading to other regions, the tangles and plaques 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.

Alzheimer's Disease Signs

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

1. Memory loss.
2. Having difficulty performing familiar tasks.
3. Problems with language.
4. Disorientation to time and place.
5. Decreased or poor judgment.
6. Problems with abstract thinking.
7. Misplacing things.
8. Changes in mood or behavior.
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.

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. Keeping in mind that younger people are now getting this disease, it’s never too early to learn about Alzheimer’s!