What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Despite the fact it is the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer’s currently has no cure. Alzheimer’s Disease was named for the German physician, Alois Alzheimer, who first described the disease in 1906. The number of people with this brain disorder is growing rapidly.

Alzheimer’s destroys brain cells, In turn, this causes problems with thinking, memory, and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. Added to that is the fact this disease isn’t just about losing your memory. It’s also a progressive and fatal disease.

Especially sobering is the fact that Alzheimer’s disease has surpassed diabetes to become the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States.

Even more chilling facts about Alzheimer’s:

• As many as 5.2 million people are already living with Alzheimer’s in the United States.
• In their lifetime, 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s.
• About every 71 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s.
• The direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer’s and other dementias to Medicare, Medicaid and businesses amount to more than $148 billion each year.

Perhaps the most surprising fact is that people are getting diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at much earlier ages now. Over 500,000 people under 65 years of age were diagnosed just last year, and even more startling, some of those were in their 20’s and 30’s.

Alzheimer’s Disease Facts

Naturally our brains age as we get older, just as the rest of our body does. However, the brain of someone with Alzheimer’s shows far greater changes than usual.

To start with, consider that the brain has 100 billion neurons (nerve cells). Networks are formed by many nerve cells communicating with each other. These networks have special jobs to do. Some networks have the job of thinking. Others are for remembering and learning. Some of the networks control our muscle movement. Still others help us to smell, see and hear.

In the sense that each nerve cell network needs to take in supplies, generate energy and make something, they operate like a little factory. Each network also needs to process and store information, plus get rid of waste from all the work it’s done.

For some reason, in people with Alzheimer’s the nerve networks cell factories quit working correctly. When one section of the system breaks down, it produces a cascade effect and soon other parts have problems as well. The cells can no longer do their job eventually and die.

There are two prime suspects for this sabotage, though scientients don’t completely understand the process yet.

1. Plaques build up between nerve cells. They contain deposits of a protein fragment called beta-amyloid (BAY-tuh AM-uh-loyd).
2. Tangles are twisted fibers of another protein which is called called tau (rhymes with “how”). Inside the dying cells these tangles are formed.

While most people develop some plaques and tangles as they age, those with Alzheimer’s tend to develop far more than is usual. Plaques and tangless have a tendency to form in a predictable order. They usually start in areas important to learning and memory, and progress from there to other regions of the brain.Somehow, it’s believed, these plaques and tangles block communication among nerve cells and disrupt activities that cells need to survive.

Things To Look For With Alzheimer’s Disease

A list of warning signs has been developed by The Alzheimer’s Association. They include the following:

1. Memory loss.
2. Having difficulty performing familiar tasks.
3. Language problems.
4. Place and time disorientation.
5. Judgment become poor or decreased.
6. Problems when doing abstract thinking.
7. Misplacing things.
8. Mood and behavior changes.
9. Personality changes.
10. Loss of initiative.

For a more complete explanation of the warning signs, visit The Alzheimer’s Association’s website.

Understanding Alzheimer’s, how it works and what to signs to look for, and keeping up with the latest health news, is an important part of caring for your health. When you consider much younger people are now getting Alzheimer’s disease, it’s never too early to learn about it!