14 DAY TRIAL // Alzheimer's disease, or the most common form of dementia, is a brain disorder that seriously affects a person's ability to learn and reason, make judgments, communicate or carry out daily activities. The disease, mostly frequent among older people, affects especially memory and language; it was named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer. The German doctor first noticed, in 1906, changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness, namely abnormal clumps and tangled bundles of fibers, commonly signs of Alzheimer's.
The disease progresses at different rates. The illness may last from 3 to 20 years. It first affects thinking skills and, progressing, it destroys cells from different parts of the brain. According to statistics, about 4.5 million Americans suffer from the disease. It usually makes its debut after the age of 60, the risk going up as a person gets older. Alzheimer's is much less frequent in young people, though can occur to them as well. 5% men and women aged 65 to 74 have the illness, while about 50% of those over 85 years have it.
Alzheimer's is a slow disease which, after 8 or 10 years from the diagnose, causes fatal brain damage. Over the past 15 years, scientists have managed to identify the factors that may have a role in causing the disease. It begins to damage the brain years before the first symptoms will occur. When symptoms will start to appear, the nerve cells that process, store and retrieve information would have already started the process of degeneration which would eventually lead to their death.
Among the symptoms is forgetfulness; people may find it difficult to remember events, activities or names. They may also not be able to solve simple math problems. As the disease aggravates, people may forget doing simple, daily activities. They will eventually become anxious or aggressive, some even wandering away.
In a microscopic analysis of the tissue affected by the disease, scientists consider two structures, "plaques" and "tangles". Amyloid plaques can be characterized as clumps of protein, while tangles are twisted strands of another protein that form inside cells. Their role still remains unknown, but experimental drugs targeting amyloid will be produced and will help clarify their role.
The disease involves the malfunction or death of nerve cells, but the cause of the process still remains to be discovered. Still, the most important risk factor in getting the disease is age; Alzheimer's is very frequent among people over 65. Recent studies have shown that family could also play a role, namely that a person who has a parent or a sibling with the disease is 3 times more likely to be affected.
The factors mentioned above cannot be changed, but research has shown important factors which we can control and which might reduce the risk of getting Alzheimer's. Some scientists have associated head injury with an increasing risk of the illness. Head injury may be prevented by wearing a seat belt in the car or helmets when necessary.
Diet is also an important factor in reducing the risk. A healthy diet with vegetables and fruit, social activity, avoiding tobacco and excess alcohol, exercising the body and mind can be very useful in keeping the brain healthy. Doctors also make a strong association between Alzheimer's and heart diseases. Cardiovascular illnesses, diabetes, stroke and high blood pressure or cholesterol can damage the heart and the brain. Some autopsies showed that plaques and tangles are more likely to cause Alzheimer's if a person suffered from a stroke.
Alzheimer's cannot be cured; some drugs can prevent symptoms from worsening: tacrine, donepezil, rivastigmine or galantamine. Vitamin E supplements are often prescribed to people with the disease, because they help brain cells defend themselves from attacks. The free radicals produced by normal cells can damage cell structures and genetic material, thus playing a role in triggering the disease.
Some herbal treatments are promoted as alternative cures for Alzheimer's, but these recommendations are solely based on testimonials. Coenzyme Q10, an antioxidant normally found in the body, is needed so that normal cell reactions can occur. The effectiveness of these supplements has not yet been studied and the substance can lead to some side effects if too much is taken. Among the most popular alternative treatments is Ginkgo biloba, which may have positive effects on cells within the brain and the body. This plant extract has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and protects cell membranes, but studies showed no considerable improvement in helping sickened people.