Dementia is a hot topic and with an aging population it is not surprising that Alzheimer's disease takes center stage when age related conditions are discussed; other forms of dementia are often forgotten even though they are all important. The current figures show that of people aged 65 and over, 10 percent are suffering from Alzheimer's disease; the problem in the past has been the accuracy of diagnosis which has gradually improved and is now up to 94 percent accurate.

Although discovered just over a century ago by Alois Alzheimer, it is only during the last 30 years that research into this disease has increased; even though it has been scientifically studied for many years, knowledge surrounding this disease is minimal.

According to studies, it is advancing age that is the greatest risk to developing Alzheimer's disease. Part of the problem in the early stages of Alzheimer's is the patient's reluctance to admit to anyone or themselves that they are experiencing problems; this can be a difficult time for family members who need to know what is wrong.

At the moment all forms of dementia treatment are pretty much the same and that includes Alzheimer's disease. Some drugs can now slow down and sometimes improve the symptoms but so far no treatment has been discovered that can cure the disorder. At the moment, three drugs are used routinely to treat sufferers of Alzheimer's, all of which have been approved by the FDA - Donepezil, Tacrine, and Rivastigmine; although it will vary from patient to patient, improvements in mental processes have been seen, lasting up to 6 months.

Another drug, Memantine, a relative of the older anti-influenza drug Amantadine, is proving successful at slowing down the mental decline of sufferers; patients with mild to severe Alzheimer's who are already receiving Donepezil are now given Memantine as an alternative. Although Memantine is not a wonder medication, it is showing success where other medicines gave not and with few side effects; because four fifths of it is passed out in urine unchanged by the kidneys, patients do not risk having their bodies retaining it in large quantities.

Because people are living longer Alzheimer's disease has become a serious health problem that governments must face; it is a major cause of death in America. That is not the only problem because medical costs continue to increase and is something that needs some long term consideration; there is already 40 billion American dollars spent every year on treatment and this amount is set to rise. The National Institute on Aging spends half of its annual funding on research into this age related disease; global testing into various treatments are currently being investigated with hundreds of compounds under scrutiny.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is one proven method you can use to reduce the risks of contracting dementia. Studies have also indicated that a number of Alzheimer's patients have reduced their rate of decline by staying healthy and happy. This disease is still almost exclusively and aging condition; incidents of younger victims contracting the condition do occur, although these are rare.