Alzheimer's Disease

 

 Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a mental disorder caused by progressive and permanent changes to the brain that is fatal. It is a form of dementia affecting not just memory loss but also psychological behavior of the afflicted. It is named after Alois Alzhemier who first reported the disease in 1906.

 

Risk of Alzheimer's disease increases with age and is predominant in individuals over the age of 65, and with women at greater risk. Statistics of Alzheimer's cases are higher in the West than in developing countries and reports, including that of the World Health Organization, estimates that approximately 24.5 million people are affected by dementia including AD in 2005. Cases are projected to increase substantially over the next 20 years as the baby boom generation reaches their senior years. Research into the cause is still ongoing but it is thought that genetic influence is strong (family members with the disease raises the risk of the disease), and serious head trauma (sever knocking of the head) will increase the risk of the disease at a later stage in life.

 

Because Alzheimer's is a degenerative disease, it's effects will worsen progressively in the patient affecting their mental ability (memory, analytical, judgment), their communicative skills, and their physical capability to do normal functions. The impact of Alzheimer's is equally traumatic for those around the patient providing care. Immediate family members are usually highly emotionally stressed by the experience of seeing this disease take over their loved one. As it is not a passive disease, interaction can get highly stressful as the psychological changes makes the patient more aggressive, and dealing with the patient becomes very challenging on a daily basis. The progress of Alzheimer's takes the patient through various stages, leading to their demise. How long this will take varies but earlier onset of the disease (under 50) usually results in more rapid deterioration, and those having the disease later in life (over 70), may deteriorate slowly over many years. Over the period of the illness, the toll is not just financial, but emotional. It is therefore important for family members and care givers to understand the Alzheimer's Disease, and to reach a stage of objectivity as soon as possible to deal with the situation and minimize the potential disruption to their own lives.