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Fighting Back Against Alzheimer's Disease
| Article
# : |
18342 |
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Section : |
NATURAL SCIENCE
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| Issue
Date : |
10 / 1990 |
3,695 Words |
| Author
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Gail Schechter and Patricia Duncan
Gail Schechter is the director of FIDIA Information Network,
which published journals and newsletters covering the
neurosciences. Patricia Duncan is a science writer with the
FIDIA Information Network. |
Fifty million U.S. citizens, mostly "baby boomers," will be over the age of 65 by the year 2020, and approximately 1 in 10 of these may have Alzheimer's disease unless research now underway can alter present patterns of incidence. Already in 1990 an estimated four million U.S. citizens have the dreaded dementing disorder. Alzheimer's disease is currently untreatable and its cause of causes are unknown. However, world-class scientists from many disciplines are uncovering valuable clues, from the submicroscopic level of the nerve cell's interior up to the level of the landscape of the living brain, that may well lead to the discovery of the causes of the disease and aid in developing effective methods of diagnosis and treatment. By the end of this century, Alzheimer's disease may well be under control, according to many experts.
Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative illness of the nervous system that destroys one's ability to remember and results in death 2-20 years after its onset. Memory loss does not cause death, however. Rather, death usually results from secondary illnesses, such as pneumonia, which arise because the patient's nerve cells controlling some essential life support function, such as respiration, have been impaired.
Sadly, death is often a blessing for victims of Alzheimer's disease, for at the time of death, most have literally lost their minds. Short-term memory loss is typically the first symptom of the disease. Mild personality changes and speech problems may then set in. Severe cognitive impairment follows. As dementia progresses, people with Alzheimer's disease become increasingly unable to care for themselves and ultimately become totally dependent on others. The burden of caring for the Alzheimer's patient is so great that Alzheimer's disease is said to strike at least one person in addition to the diseased individual.
Alzheimer's disease is by far the leading dementing illness, but it is not the only one. It is estimated that approximately one-quarter of patients thought to have the disease have, instead, one of several other treatable disorders, such as depression or stroke. Unlike Alzheimer's disease, many of these disorders are not only diagnosable but also treatable. For this reason, and because some of the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease can be alleviated with medication, people concerned with persistent memory problems should visit their doctors.
Plaques and tangles: hallmarks of Alzheimer's
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