Common/Scientific name: Alzheimer’s Disease

Form of dementia

The causes of Alzheimer’s disease are unknown but the following appear to play a role:

Inflammation of the brain pollutants in drinking water aluminum from commercial products metal dental fillings

People over the age of 65 Occasionally people in their 30’s

At first AD destroys neurons in parts of the brain that control memory, including the hippocampus, which controls short-term memory.

Later AD affects the cerebral cortex, particularly the area responsible for language

Regions of the brain affected by the disease become clogged with two abnormal structures, called neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques which interfere with the communication between neurons and cause neuron death.

Neurofibrillary tangles are twisted masses of protein fibers inside neurons.

The brain will then shrink is severe cases of AD

memory loss that affects job skills difficulty performing familiar tasks problems with language disorientation of time and place poor or decreased judgment problems with abstract thinking misplacing things changes in mood or behavior changes in personality loss of initiative Problems with eating and communicating

AD may not be the direct cause of death, but does increases the risk of life-threatening infection, like pneumonia.

On average people with AD live eight years past their diagnosis

Range: 1-20 years after diagnosis

AD is incurable. tacrine (Cognex) and donepezil hydrochloride

(Aricept) – improve memory skills rivastigmine (Exelon)- improve the ability of

patients to carry out daily activities, like eating and dressing, decrease behavioral symptoms like agitation, and improve cognitive functions like thinking, memory, and speaking

antidepressants, anti-psychotics, and sedatives are used to treat the behavioral symptoms

Ronald Reagan 40th president

It was suspected that Reagan had AD but he was never officially diagnosed until 1990

Died in 2004 at the age of 93

The Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers (ADCs) program promotes research, training and education, and cooperative studies in AD, other dementias, and normal brain aging

Alzheimer's Association Many nursing homes

Sims, J. (2002). Alzheimer's Disease. In D. S. Blanchfield & J. L. Longe (Eds.), The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine (2nd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 134-141). Detroit: Gale. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3405600068&v=2.1&u=cary81451&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w

President Reagan suffered from Alzheimer's while in office, according to son. (2011, January 1). Retrieved from Washington Post website: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/political-bookworm/2011/01/president_reagan_suffered_from.html