Alzheimer's Disease: A Cure on the Horizon?

Alzheimer's Disease: A Cure on the Horizon?

It is estimated that about 4.5 million people in the United States have Alzheimer's. This number has more than doubled since 1980. It affects all races. About one in ten people over the age of sixty-five have Alzheimer's, and as many as five in ten people over the age of eighty-five have Alzheimer's. A person with Alzheimer's disease will live an average of eight years and up to as many as twenty years from the onset of symptoms. Do these statistics sound scary? They should. The makers of Aricept, an accepted treatment for the symptoms of the disease lament that "sadly, many people think the early symptoms of Alzheimer's are signs of normal aging" (Aricept.com 1), so Alzheimer's is often neither diagnosed nor treated early, adding to ever increasing number of adults who suffer from the disease.

Alzheimer's Disease was first identified by Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German Physician in 1906. After the death of a middle-aged patient who experienced progressive problems with memory, language, and behavior, he performed an autopsy on her brain and "identified two changes in brain tissue that are essential features of the disease that bears Alzheimer's name" (History of Alzheimer's 1). Alois Alzheimer is recognized for his early contribution to the understanding of the symptoms and progression of Alzheimer's. His first observations and reports remain accurate; however, many changes in brain structure and functioning have been identified.

Alzheimer's Disease is a progressive brain disorder that causes a gradual and irreversible decline in memory, language skills, perception of time and space, and, eventually, the ability to care for oneself. It occurs in middle to late adult life, destroying neurons and connections in the cerebral cortex and resulting in significant loss of brain mass. It is the most common form of dementia, a term that describes a group of symptoms that are caused by changes in brain function, and in extreme cases can sometimes develop into multi-infarct dementia, which can lead to a series of small strokes.

The causes of Alzheimer's are not fully known yet. Most likely, there is not one single cause, but rather many contributing factors. Age is the most important known risk factor. Family history is another important risk factor. The Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center (ADEAR) states that "scientists believe genetics may play a role in many [Alzheimer's Disease] cases" (ADEAR 1). Several changes in the brain have been found to occur in Alzheimer's Disease. Plaque deposits accumulate in the spaces between brain cells, and the cells themselves form twisted, spaghetti-like masses called "tangles". The plaque and tangles trigger an inflammatory immune reaction that begins to destroy the surrounding brain neurons contributing to the loss in memory common among Alzheimer's sufferers.

The symptoms of Alzheimer's begin very slowly, and at first, can easily be mistaken for other illnesses. Among the first symptoms are mild forgetfulness and irritability. At first, people with Alzheimer's may have trouble remembering recent events, activities, or the names of familiar people or things. As the disease progresses, the symptoms become more serious such as forgetting how to perform simple tasks like brushing one's teeth and combing hair. Victims of the disease can no longer think clearly, they begin to have problems speaking, understanding, reading, or writing, they become anxious or aggressive, and often wander away from home. Eventually, patients need total care. Mary Lockhart, a victim of Alzheimer's describes it as "a very lonely disease" (Betsy 43). ADEAR authorized a list of the seven warning signs of Alzheimer's Disease which follows:

1. Asking the same question over and over again

2. Repeating the same story, word for word, again and again

3. Forgetting how to cook, or how to make repairs, or how to play cards - activities that were previously done with ease and regularity

4. Losing one's ability to pay bills or balance one's checkbook

5. Getting lost in familiar surroundings, or misplacing household objects

6. Neglecting to bathe, or wearing the same clothes over and over again, while insisting that they have taken a bath or that their clothes are still clean

7. Relying on someone else, such as a spouse,