When dementia is discussed, the first condition to enter minds is probably Alzheimer's disease; it has become famous in recent years although it is not a new form of dementia. If you spent time with a person with Alzheimer's disease, you will see a gradual decay in their ability to remember; diagnosis of the condition has improved dramatically and is now approximately 87%- 94% percent accurate.



Although the world has only focused its attention on this disease for jus over thirty years, it was actually discovered back in 1906 by the German physician, Alois Alzheimer; even though it has been scientifically studied for many years, knowledge surrounding this disease is minimal.

Studies have shown that the greatest known risk for developing Alzheimer's is increasing age. Unfortunately, the person experiencing the early symptoms of Alzheimer's will know something is wrong but won't admit it to others or even to themselves; to make matters worse, this situation creates a delay in the person and family learning what is wrong.

As far as treatment is concerned, Alzheimer's disease is treated in the same manner as other types of dementia. Some drugs can now slow down and sometimes improve the symptoms but so far no treatment has been discovered that can cure the disorder. Most Alzheimer's disease sufferers will be prescribed one of the following drugs Donepezil, Tacrine, and Rivastigmine; these have helped many patients with improvements in their mental faculties although this is only in the short term.

Another drug, Memantine, a relative of the older anti-influenza drug Amantadine, is proving successful at slowing down the mental decline of sufferers; it is now normally given to those on Donepezil who are suffering moderate to severe Alzheimer's. Memantine is the first medicine to show such positive results with sufferers with few problems associated with its use; most of the drug is passed out again when the patient urinates (about 80 percent), virtually without any change taking place.

Alzheimer's disease is thought to be one of the largest public health problems, primarily due to an increase in the life expectancy of people in the world; it is already the fourth largest killer in the United States. It is not just the human cost of Alzheimer's that has to be taken into consideration but also the monetary costs surrounding long term care; the annual cost of treatment and care for sufferers is in excess of 40 billion dollars and is expected to rise well beyond this in the future. Last year alone, the National Institute on Aging spent nearly one-half of its funding on research related to this insidious disease; currently there are over 300 different compounds at various stages of development for its treatment.

One way to help lower the risk of dementia and one that you can have responsibility for is to change how you live by eating healthily and taking regular exercise. Studies have also indicated that a number of Alzheimer's patients have reduced their rate of decline by staying healthy and happy. At the time of writing this condition primarily affects men and women over sixty years of age; nevertheless, there have been occasional incidences of people contracting it before the age of 60.