Alzheimer's Disease
Unraveling the Mystery
Alzheimer's Disease Research Update and New Treatment Options
by Paula Grammas, Ph.D., Executive Director, Mildred and Shirley Garrison Chair in Aging
What is AD?
Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills.
Although the risk of developing AD increases with age in most people with AD, symptoms first appear after age 60. AD is not a part of normal aging. It is caused by a fatal disease that affects the brain.
AD is a slow disease, starting with mild memory problems and ending with severe brain damage. The course the disease takes and how fast changes occur vary from person to person. On average, AD patients live from 8 to 10 years after they are diagnosed, though some people may live with AD for as many as 20 years.
What you need to know about Alzheimer's...
*Alzheimer's is not normal aging; it's a progressive fatal disease. There is no cure. Today, it is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States.
*There are currently more than 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer's including 500,000 individuals under age 65. By 2050 there could be as many as 16 million with the disease.
*With no effective prevention or treatment methods, Alzheimer's disease has the power to bankrupt families, communities and our health care system.
The Statistics
By 2020 in Texas:
*One in five people will be over age 60
*Oldest old population (80+) will increase by almost 180%
*Over 80% age 65 and older will have at least one chronic health condition
*Currently 1 in 10 over age 65 and nearly 50% of those over age 85 are affected by Alzheimer's Disease
AD Research: Diagnosing AD
At specialized centers, doctors diagnose AD correctly up to 90 percent of the time. Doctors use several tools to diagnose probable AD including:
*questions about person' health past medical problems, and ability to carry out activities;
*tests to measure memory, problem solving, attention, counting and language;
*medical tests- such as blood, urine, or spinal fluid and brain scans.
Experienced physicians in specialized AD centers can now diagnose AD
with up to 90 percent accuracy.
Early diagnosis has advantages:
*Doctors can rule out other conditions that may cause dementia.
*If it is AD, families have more time to plan for the future.
Treatments can start earlier, when they may be more effective.
It helps scientists learn more about the causes and development of AD.
Your Alzheimer's Risk
Age.
The strongest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease is age. The older a person gets, the greater his or her likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease. Most people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease are 65 years old or older.
Family History
Those who have one or more close family members with Alzheimer's disease are more likely to develop this condition than those without a family history.
Gender
Women are at greater risk to develop Alzheimer's disease than men.
The presence of a specific form of the APOE gene, APOE ε4, increases one's lifetime risk of getting late onset Alzheimer's disease. Inheriting the APOE ε2 form decreases one's lifetime risk.
Heart-head connection
Some of the strongest evidence links brain health to heart health. Your brain is nourished by one of your body's richest networks of blood vessels. Every heartbeat pumps about 20 to 25 percent of your blood to your head, where brain cells use at least 20 percent of the food and oxygen your blood carries.
Stress
Evidence points that stress to the brain is a contributor to Alzheimer's, whether its through diet, emotional, or head trauma.
