How Is Alzheimers Disease Spread Among Humans
by: Irene Mmari on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 at: 5:42 PM Go to: Previous Article Next Article
It would be nice if we were able to all grow old with dignity but as you get older there appears to be more and more medically that can go wrong and presently the problem condition is Alzheimer's. Studies now show that of people aged 65 and over, 10% are now suffering from Alzheimer's disease which affects the memory centers of their brain but the technique used to diagnose the trouble has improved with an accuracy rate of anywhere between 87% and 94%.
Although it was first discovered in 1906 by a German doctor by the name of Alois Alzheimer, Alzheimer's disease is still has many secrets even though the world started to take it seriously over 30 years ago. Long term clinical research indicates that getting older is the main cause for catching this degenerative disease. Recognition of Alzheimer's early on is often delayed by the person having symptoms of Alzheimer's disease themselves, if they either fail to recognize the signs or choose to dismiss them.
Dementia covers quite a broad spectrum of problems but they are all addressed in a similar fashion, including Alzheimer's treatment. Even after all the research, presently there is no lasting treatment for Alzheimer's disease but there are a number of drugs which can aid with treating the symptoms of Alzheimer's. Some of the medicines authorized by the FDA including: Tacrine, Donepezil and Rivastigmine have shown some improvement in people with Alzheimer's disease but they are short lived and more often than not don't help the intellectual powers for much longer than six months.
A new drug though, called Memantine is helping to slow down the degenerative process of Alzheimer's disease during the advanced stages and is a variation of the famous anti-influenza drug Amantadine. Those with mild to severe Alzheimer's disease and currently receiving Donepezil are now given Memantine. Patients do not suffer as many ill effects, and it is the first drug demonstrated to have an effect on the symptoms of moderate to severe Alzheimer's with more than 80% of the Memantine passed and unaltered by the kidneys.
This disease is being treated by authorities as a serious medical challenge since the general age of the industrialized world's population is growing and is now the 4th biggest cause of death in America. There are other issues at stake here though as the annual cost of treating Alzheimer's disease patients is over billion. One organization (The national Institute on Aging) has said that nearly 50% of its yearly budget was spent on research into Alzheimer's, last year alone. Scientists around the globe are working hard and there are over 300 compounds at various stages of testing into the handling of Alzheimer's disease.
Currently one of the only ways that can help in slowing down or stopping Alzheimer's is to ensure a healthy lifestyle is embraced and sustained. In any case, medical investigators think the more content someone with Alzheimer's disease is, the slower his/her decline will be. At the moment, this disease is still a degenerative disorder affecting primarily the elderly but a few young individuals have recently acquired the disease.
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