Alzheimer's Steals the Brain
Delicate durability describes the human body, and nowhere is
this more apparent than in the human brain.
For most of us, our mind serves us well until we no longer need
it, that is, when we die. However,
for others who suffer from the ravages of dementia, a loss of
intellectual function (thinking, remembering and reasoning), the mind
may begin to resign before the rest of the body.
Alzheimer’s
disease (pronounced alz’-hi-merz) is a progressive, degenerative
disease that attacks the brain and steals the mind.
This results in memory loss, loss in communication abilities
and changes in behavior. It
destroys one’s ability to think and reason effectively.
It can become so severe that it prevents one from taking care
of their most basic needs. This
may eventually result in death.
Misplacing
your car keys, missing an appointment or forgetting about something
left cooking on the stove is normal absent-mindedness. Forgetting what your car keys are for, or why you have an
appointment with your physician, or how to turn on the stove is more
likely to be dementia.
Alzheimer’s
disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. AD is the fourth leading cause of death in adults, only
exceeded by heart disease, cancer and stroke.
Men and women are affected almost equally; most are over age
65.
AD
afflicts nearly four million Americans currently but because the risk
of developing AD increases markedly with age, the disease is expected
to balloon in the next two decades as baby boomers pass into their
golden years. The
Alzheimer’s Association estimates the current cost to our society at
$100 billion a year; consequently, there has been an intense push to
find a cure, or at the very least, a cost-effective therapy for this
disease. Because of the
enormous strain the disease imposes on our healthcare system and the
large number of people affected, there has been an unusually high
level of research activity lately.
World
Wide Web is an extraordinarily rich resource for rapid access to
information on a variety of medical topics—AD is no exception.
World Wide Web
Alzheimer’s Association
http://www.alz.org/
National
Institutes of Health
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/alzheim.htm
Alzheimer’s
Disease Education and Referral
adearweb@alzheimers.org
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