Fitness School

With an aging global population, it is not surprising the focus of attention has been placed squarely on the shoulders of Alzheimer’s disease. Currently affecting 10 percent of people over 65, Alzheimer’s is a disease that causes a steady decline in memory with diagnosis now approximately 87 – 94 percent accurate.

Although discovered just over a century ago by Alois Alzheimer a German Physician, it is only during the last 30 years that this disease has started to have more research carried out. According to studies, it is advancing age that is the greatest risk to developing Alzheimer’s disease. 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.

At the moment all forms of dementia treatment are pretty much the same and that includes Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately, because there is still so much that is unknown about the disease, there is no definite way to treat it although some symptoms can be improved or slowed down with drugs. Donepezil, Tacrine, and Rivastigmine are three drugs that have been approved for use in treating Alzheimer’s by the Food and Drug Administration.

This new drug is used on patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s already receiving Donepezil. Memantine is the first drug to show such positive results with sufferers who have moderate to severe symptoms.

Alzheimer’s disease has become a major issue as it is already the fourth largest killer in the United States. It is not just the human cost of Alzheimer’s that has to be taken into consideration, there is also the monetary costs. Over 300 different compounds are already at various stages of development for its treatment.

The only way to improve the risk of not developing dementia is to adjust the way you live and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Researchers believe that a person suffering with Alzheimer’s who maintains their health and happiness slows down the deteriorating effects. There have been incidents where a younger person has contracted the disease but it is hoped these will not start to increase.

When the topic of dementia is brought up, the discussion will invariably turn towards Alzheimer’s disease, other forms of dementia are often forgotten. The current figures show that of people aged 65 and over 10 percent are suffering from Alzheimer’s.

It was first discovered in 1906 by Alois Alzheimer, a German physician. According to studies, it is advancing age that is the greatest risk to developing Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately, the person experiencing the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s will know something is wrong but won’t admit it to others or even to themselves.

At the moment all forms of dementia treatment are pretty much the same and that includes Alzheimer’s disease. There is no definitive treatment at present, but some drugs improve the symptoms or stall their progression. Most Alzheimer’s disease sufferers will be prescribed one of the following drugs Donepezil, Tacrine, and Rivastigmine.

A new drug, Memantine is helping to slow down the deterioration process during the later stages and is a derivative of the well known anti-influenza drug Amantadine. 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.

The industrialized world’s elderly population is now living longer and as such Alzheimer’s disease has become a serious problem, it is now the fourth largest killer in America. Although contracting the disease is a tragedy, the cost of treatment and care for sufferers is causing economic vibrations. Over 300 different compounds are already at various stages of development for its treatment.

The only way to improve the risk of not developing dementia is to adjust the way you live and adopt a healthier lifestyle. In fact researchers believe the happier and healthier someone is with Alzheimer’s, the slower his or her decline. This disease is still almost exclusively and aging condition and incidences of younger victims are rare.