Alzheimer's is the most common type of disease called dementia, which prevents people from being able to think, remember, and use language. This disease is not caused by anything except for old age. It is very common in people over the age of 65, where approximately 1 in every 10 people have it. However once over the age of 85, it rises much higher to approximately 5 in ever 10 people. Alzheimer's at this point in time cannot be cured however there are many drugs marketed for treatment of the disease. If treatment is started earlier, then the severity of the disease may be much less. On average a person will live 8 to 10 years after they are diagnosed although in some cases people have been known to live past 20 years.
Alzheimer's is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer who noticed that the brain tissue in a women who had died from a mental illness was very strange. In the brain he found clumps and tangled bundles or fibers, which were considered abnormal. This research done by Dr. Alzheimer is considered the beginning of the research on the disease. .
Scientists believe that genetics can play a role in cases of Alzheimer's. Familial Alzheimer's usually shows effect on people once there between the ages of 30 and 60. People can also inherit a protein in their body called apolipoprotein E, which has three different forms. One form protects people from Alzheimer's, while the other one makes people more susceptible to inheriting it from other family members. Today scientists are studying more in depth into how genetics can play a role in the disease.
Because Alzheimer's cannot be diagnosed on a person that is alive, doctors can only make a probable diagnosis of the disease. In order for a doctor to make a accurate diagnosis, they have to look at the patients complete medical history, medical tests, Neuropsychological tests, and bran scans. In some cases, finding out that a patient has had a medical illness such as a brain tumor in the past can explain why they are having Alzheimer's like symptoms.
