Understanding Alzheimer's Disease

What Exactly Is Alzheimer’s Disease?

The most common form of dementia, Alzheimer’s has no cure at this time. In 1906, German physician, Alois Alzheimer, first described the disease. It was later named for him. 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. People with this disease not only lose their memory, but this is a progressive and fatal disease.

So prevalent is Alzheimer’s disease that it 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 US.
• 10 million baby boomers, in their lifetime, will develop Alzheimer's.
• Someone develops Alzheimer’s every 71 seconds.
• The costs of of Alzheimer's and other dementias, both directly and indirectly, 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.

Explaining The Facts About Alzheimer’s Disease

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

Consider that the brain has 100 billion neurons (nerve cells). Every nerve cell communicates with a lot of other nerve cells to form networks. These networks each have special jobs to do. Some networks are used for learning and remembering. Other networks are used for thinking. Some networks control our muscle movement. Other networks help us hear, see and smell.

The nerve cell networks can each be compared to a tiny factory in the sense they need to take in supplies and generate energy. They need to do construction and get rid of waste. They also need to process and store information.

In people with Alzheimer’s the nerve networks cell factories quit working correctly for some reason. When the system breaks down in one place, it produces a "ripple in the pond" effect that soon cause other parts to have problems as well. The time comes when the cells can no longer do their job and die.

Though scientists don’t yet completely understand the process, they have two prime suspects for this sabotage.

1. Between the nerve cells there is a build up of plaques. Deposits of a protein fragment called beta-amyloid (BAY-tuh AM-uh-loyd) are found in plaques.
2. Tangles are made of another protein called tau (rhymes with "pow", and are twisted fibers. These tangles form inside dying cells.

It's true that most people develop some plaques and tangles as they age, however, those with Alzheimer’s tend to develop far more. Beginning in areas important in learning and memory and then spreading to other regions, the tangles and plaques tend to form in a predictable pattern.Among the nerve cells, the plaques and tangles are believed to somehow block communication. They also disrupt activities that cells need to survive.

Alzheimer's Disease Symptoms

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

1. Memory loss.
2. Performing familiar tasks is difficult.
3. Language problems.
4. Place and time disorientation.
5. Decreased or poor judgment.
6. Trouble with abstract thinking.
7. Putting things in the wrong place.
8. Mood or behavior changes.
9. Personality differences.
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 affects people 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!