10 Things You Should Know About Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder which makes a person lose their cognitive abilities, altering daily functioning and leading to various levels of physical and emotional stress. Here are 10 things you should know about Alzheimer’s disease, according to healthline.com:

1. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting approximately 40 million people worldwide, including five million Americans.

Find out more about Alzheimer’s disease here.

2. Alzheimer’s disease is twice as likely to affect women than men. The disease also progresses much more quickly in women.

NIH awarded $40 million over five years for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Read more here.

3. Other health conditions can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s such as heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Potential Alzheimer’s treatment in Phase 3 clinical trials gets boost from the FDA. Find out more.

4. The higher the level of education you have, the lower your chance of Alzheimer’s is. You can reduce the risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease in old age by keeping your brain active by learning a new language, how to play a musical instrument or taking education classes.

Good clinical practices are important when treating Alzheimer’s patients who have Down syndrome. Read more.

5. Alzheimer’s disease is one of the leading causes of death in the elderly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 84,000 people died from Alzheimer’s disease in 2010.

Protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease show potential to improve memory. Find out more.

6. There is currently no method to cure, slow down or prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

Immunotherapy failure in Alzheimer’s clinical trial may be due to presence of another form of dementia. Find out more. 

7. Alzheimer’s is expensive. In 2016, the cost of providing medical care for Alzheimer’s patients in the US was a staggering $236 billion.

Researchers uncover gene control mechanism that holds promise as Alzheimer’s treatment. Read more.

8. The disease was first discovered in 1906 by German doctor, Alois Alzheimer. Dr. Alzheimer conducted a post-mortem of a patient who had presented memory loss and other cognitive problems and found parts of the patient’s brain had shrunk.

Alzheimer’s clinical trials for people at risk of the disease now recruiting. 

9. Alzheimer’s disease has been linked to a loss in sense of smell. This may also be one of the early symptoms of the disease.

A clinical trial has been given a $2.1m grant to test a cancer treatment on Alzheimer’s patients. Find out more.

10. The progression of Alzheimer’s disease will vary from one person to another, but older patients are expected to live for three to four years, and younger patients may live for 10 years.

Potential Alzheimer’s treatments in growing number of Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials. Find out more.

Alzheimer’s News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.