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Alzheimers - The Sad Disease

In only a very short space of time, Alzheimer's disease has become a major player in diseases affecting the elderly; currently the most prevalent type of age related dementia affecting the elderly today. Alzheimer's is estimated to affect 1 in 10 people over the age of 65 causing problems with the memory centers of the mind, causing people to forget short and longterm memories.

The problem in the past has been the accuracy of diagnosis which has gradually improved and is now up to 94 percent accurate. Discovered in 1906 by German physician Alois Alzheimer, the world's focus on this disease is only about 30 years old; even though it has been scientifically studied for many years, knowledge surrounding this disease is minimal.

Studies show that your greatest risk of acquiring Alzheimer's is advancing age. The problem of early diagnosis is often down to the sufferer, who refuses to admit that anything is wrong even when they start to experience some of the symptoms; this can be difficult for friends and relations who do not know what the problem is, or what actions or care they should take.

Like other forms of dementia, Alzheimer's disease is currently treated exactly the same as. There is no permanent treatment for the condition, but studies have shown there are a number of drugs which can help with the condition. Donepezil, Tacrine, and Rivastigmine are three drugs that have been approved for use in treating Alzheimer's by the American Food and Drug Administration; improvements have shown to help the average sufferer's cognitive abilities by up to six months.

Memantine is a new drug that slows deterioration during the later stages and is a derivative of the decades old anti-influenza drug Amantadine; this drug slows down the mental deterioration so those already prescribed Donepezil with severe symptoms are now prescribed Memantine instead. The side effects of using Memantine are low, and it's the first drug shown to have an effect on the symptoms of moderate to severe cases; more than 80 percent of the Memantine excreted is unchanged by the kidneys.

Alzheimer's disease is considered to be a major public health challenge because the average age of the industrialized world's population is increasing. this disease has risen to the status of fourth most lethal killer in America. The economic cost of treating and providing care for those with this type of aging disease another issue to be addressed; with an annual cost of 40 billion US dollars. This number is expected to rise in future years.

This is destined to create financial problems everywhere, and the cost of care and treatment is only expected to rise in the future. According to the National Institute on Aging, nearly half of its annual budget is spent on research into this awful condition; there are currently hundreds of substances being tested for treatments around the world.

One of the few factors that you can change to alter your risk of developing dementia is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Some researchers into the disease have found that patients who are happy and healthy with Alzheimer's, slow down the rate of their mental decline. Fortunately this disease is still mainly affecting people over the age of 60; incidents of younger victims contracting the condition do occur, although these are rare.

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Kay Brown of Net Reports where you can find a growing volume of fine Niche Articles and the most popular Digital Information Products

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