Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disorder that causes brain cells to waste away (degenerate) and die. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia — a continuous decline in thinking, behavioral and social skills that disrupts a person’s ability to function independently.

• Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic ongoing condition.
• Its symptoms come on gradually and the effects on the brain are degenerative, meaning they cause slow decline.
• There’s no cure for Alzheimer’s but treatment can help slow the progression of the disease and may improve quality of life.
• Anyone can get Alzheimer’s disease but certain people are at higher risk for it.
• Alzheimer’s and dementia aren’t the same thing. Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia.
• There’s no single expected outcome for people with Alzheimer’s.

Memory and language loss, impaired judgment, and other cognitive changes caused by Alzheimer’s can complicate treatment for other health conditions. A person with Alzheimer’s disease may not be able to:

• Communicate that he or she is experiencing pain — for example, from a dental problem
• Report symptoms of another illness
• Follow a prescribed treatment plan
• Notice or describe medication side effects
• Curiosity

Scientists believe that for most people, Alzheimer’s disease is caused by a combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors that affect the brain over time.

The only definitive way to diagnose someone with Alzheimer’s disease is to examine their brain tissue after death. But your doctor can use other examinations and tests to assess your mental abilities, diagnose dementia, and rule out other conditions.

They’ll likely start by taking a medical history. They may ask about your:

• symptoms
• family medical history
• other current or past health conditions
• current or past medications
• diet, alcohol intake, or other lifestyle habits

• Repeat statements and questions over and over
• Forget conversations, appointments or events, and not remember them later
• Routinely misplace possessions, often putting them in illogical locations
• Get lost in familiar places
• Eventually forget the names of family members and everyday objects
• Have trouble finding the right words to identify objects, express thoughts or take part in conversations

There’s no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease. However, your doctor can recommend medications and other treatments to help ease your symptoms and delay the progression of the disease for as long as possible.

For early to moderate Alzheimer’s, your doctor may prescribe medications such as donepezil (Aricept) or rivastigmine (Exelon). These drugs can help maintain high levels of acetylcholine in your brain. This is a type of neurotransmitter that can help aid your memory.

To treat moderate to severe Alzheimer’s, your doctor may prescribe donepezil (Aricept) or memantine (Namenda). Memantine can help block the effects of excess glutamate. Glutamate is a brain chemical that’s released in higher amounts in Alzheimer’s disease and damages brain cells.