Alzheimers Disease is the most common form of dementia among older people.  Parts of the brain that control memory, thought and language are the parts of the brain that are involved in this condition. Scientists always continue to learn and research Alzheimer’s disease on a constant basis, however the causes are still unknown and there is no cure.

There are about 4 million people suffering from this disease according to scientists and the disease usually begins after the age of 60. The risk of the disease goes up with age.  The condition is much less common in younger people. The disease is known to effect behavior, thought process, and memory loss in individuals. The condition worsens gradually over time and individual survival rate is typically anywhere from 3 to 20 years after symptoms begin to appear. There is no treatment available on the market as of now to stop the disease from progressing, although certain medications can slow the symptoms from getting worse and help improve quality of life for those suffering from Alzheimer’s.

Statistics:

3% of men and women between the ages of 65 to 74 have Alzheimer’s Disease.  It is not a normal part of aging and the disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer (a German doctor).

Available Medications for mild to moderate Alzheimer’s:

Cholinesterase inhibitors
Razadyne® (galantamine)
Cognex® (tacrine)
Exelon® (rivastigmine)
Aricept® (donepezil)

For moderate to severe Alzheimer’s, the following medicine is available:

Namenda® (memantine)
Aricept® (Recently approved by the FDA)

To obtain more information about this condition, please contact:

Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center
P.O. Box 8250
Silver Spring, MD 20907-8250
1-800-438-4380
www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers

Related Videos:

This entry was filed under Diseases and Conditions.

Tags: alzeimers, alzheimer's disease medications, alzheimer's disease treatment, azheimer's disease