Answers to questions often asked about Alzheimer’s
Some 5.3 million Americans develop Alzheimer’s disease, accounting for between 50 percent and 70 percent of all cases of dementia — a term covering various causes of loss of memory and intellectual functioning.
Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that is eventually fatal, making it the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States.
The biggest-known risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s is age.
In fact, about 50 percent of those over the age of 85 will develop Alzheimer’s to some degree.
Genetics also seems to play a role, but experts have yet to pinpoint why some relatives of people with Alzheimer’s will get the disease and others will not.
Sometimes a person with no known relatives with Alzheimer’s will still develop it.
Alzheimer’s most commonly develops after the age of 65, but can affect some people as early as their 30s and 40s.
Memory loss may be the most commonly recognized sign of Alzheimer’s, but other signs of the disease include changes in mood or personality, confusion with time or place, withdrawing from work or social situations, difficulty planning or completing familiar tasks, trouble with spatial relationships such as determining distance, and problems speaking or writing.
Scientists have yet to determine an exact cause for Alzheimer’s, but they have dispelled myths that exposure to aluminum or artificial sweeteners leads to memory loss later in life.
Researchers are working hard to develop a cure for Alzheimer’s, but so far there is no known way to reverse the illness, eliminate it entirely, or prevent it from advancing.
However, there are medications that can temporarily delay the worsening of symptoms, and behavioral methods can help people with Alzheimer’s and their families better cope and plan for the future.
In short, Alzheimer’s may not be curable yet, but there are many steps one can take to help make living with it somewhat easier.
Source: EverydayHealth.com
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