Articles filed under 'Alzheimer's'
Since the last estimate five years ago from the Alzheimer’s Association, another 10% increase in the disease has occurred in this country. More than 5 million Americans are now living with Alzheimer’s. By the year 2030, some 7.7 million may be affected.
This alarming trend is expected to accelerate, as baby boomers begin turning 65 in 2011. The largest risk factor is age. Currently, 1 in 8 persons over age 65 has the mind-destroying disease. Over age 85, almost half have Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia.
While small drops in the death rates from heart disease and cancer make headlines, Alzheimer’s-related deaths have increased by 33%. Even more disturbing is the trend toward early-onset Alzheimer’s. The disease in those under age 65 is vastly underreported and is often difficult to recognize in its early stages, before full-scale memory problems are involved.
Despite years of research, the causes of Alzheimer’s progressive brain deterioration are still largely unknown, and there is no cure. Medications on the market only temporarily alleviate symptoms. The disease that gradually robs memories and the ability to provide self-care eventually kills Alzheimer’s sufferers.
Medicare spends nearly three times as much for dementia patients’ care as is does on the average beneficiary — $13,207 a year for Alzheimer’s patients compared to $4,454 annually for others. Medicare expenditures do not add in the expense of families and friends proving round-the-clock care, as most Alzheimer’s patients live at home. However, a new report indicates that close to $83 billion is spent annually on nursing home costs for patients in advanced stages of the disease.
Nine drugs for Alzheimer’s are in the final stages of clinical trials. If some of these drugs are successful in slowing or delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms by even a few years, millions of dollars could be saved in health care costs in future decades. The toll in human suffering could also be greatly alleviated. Experiencing “the long good-bye” in those you love can be excruciating.
Source: Yahoo News
March 22nd, 2007
Researchers are trying to determine whether the virus that causes cold sores can somehow play a role in bringing on Alzheimer’s disease in later years. A study published recently in the journal Neurobiology of Aging is looking at interaction between the ApoE-4 gene and herpes as a risk factor for the brain-robbing disease.
According to one researcher at the University of Manchester, Alzheimer’s patients who have the ApoE-4 form of the gene contain more herpes DNA in brain regions than others without that version of the gene. The team found that the herpes virus infiltrates brain cells and is associated with cellular tangles and amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s patients.
The oral herpes virus (herpes simplex 1), known to infect 80% of Americans, hides in the body’s nerves in its predominately latent phase. An outbreak is rarely triggered by factors such as stress, fatigue, or sunlight. HPV1 then becomes active, damaging cells and causing cold sores.
Scientists have long known that the ApoE-4 gene is a player in Alzheimer’s, but the idea that it can work in concert with the herpes virus is new. A group at the University of Rochester Medical Center recently found that this particular gene causes a fertile environment for herpes in the brain.
One theory is that the body’s immune response against herpes somehow damages the brain. The damage can be worse in those with the ApoE-4 copy of the gene than in those with another form of the gene, such as ApoE-2 or ApoE-3. No research is conclusive at this point.
In 2006, the Manchester research team published a study that showed inflammation to be the earliest change detected in a brain affected by Alzheimer’s disease, before the hallmark plaques or tangles appear and long before any behavioral changes are seen. Such inflammation can be a byproduct of the body’s immune system fighting an infection.
Much research is being conducted in the field of Alzheimer’s Disease. It is hoped that one day it may be prevented, especially if treatment begins in the early stages before symptoms become obvious.
Source: Medical News TODAY
January 27th, 2007
We have known for some time that steroid abuse causes behavior changes such as aggressiveness, uncontrollable rages and suicidal tendencies. A recent study using brain cells in lab dishes showed that too much testosterone can kill brain cells through a process called apoptosis.
Testosterone in large doses can cause cells to self-destruct and produce a process similar to brain deterioration in Alzheimer’s Disease or Huntington’s Disease.
Athletes or others who resort to steroids may risk incurring damage to their minds and body functions that can’t be reversed. High levels of steroids are converted to extra testosterone in the body, and large doses of testosterone can destroy nerve cells.
Athletes who wish to gain a competitive advantage through steroid use should have second thoughts, even though it can build muscle mass and aid in quicker recovery after exertion.
Source: CNN.com
November 14th, 2006
Often, a person with symptoms of early Alzheimer’s disease is reluctant to get medical care, for fear of being labeled “crazy” or incompetent. A recent survey found that 57% delayed seeking a formal diagnosis for 2 to 3 1/2 years after onset of their symptoms.
Delay in seeking help is counterproductive and unnecessary, as the disease becomes harder to treat in more advanced stages. In addition, not knowing for certain can cause heightened anxiety and depression in patients and their caregivers.
Alzheimer’s progresses at different rates in individuals, but the patient may live with the condition for 8 to 20 years. Early diagnosis and treatment is believed to slow its progression and alleviate much of the stress of the patient and family members. In addition, early recognition gives time to put one’s affairs in order. Wills, durable powers of attorney, financial matters, and treatment preferences are better dealt with early in the disease.
Structured activities such as participation in psychotherapy groups, painting classes or musical activities can help patients live more fully after diagnosis. Despite cognitive decline, some Alzheimer’s patients show amazing ability to express themselves in art or musical performance. Support through group therapy also helps many patients bolster their self-image and accept their disease with grace.
As for medical treatments, three cholinesterase inhibitors are FDA-approved and available to treat Alzheimer’s. Razadyne and Aricept are thought to delay mental decline and symptoms in those with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s. Namenda is approved for treatment of later stages of the disease.
Facing the diagnosis early helps patients and caregivers to challenge the stigma of Alzheimer’s by seeking proper care in timely fashion.
Source: Johns Hopkins Health After 50 Medical Newsletter, August 2006
October 21st, 2006
Until recently it was thought that Alzheimer’s patients could not feel pain. Now it is understood that they feel pain as powerfully as others, maybe more so, but are unable to verbalize their feelings. This may be so especially for those in the later stages of the mind-robbing disease. Because they have lost communication skills, their pain may be under-treated by physicians and caregivers.
An Australian study using MRI real-time brain scans to check the brain’s major pain channels gave clear evidence that pain may still be intensely felt in the Alzheimer’s patient. The study compared Alzheimer’s patients who could still describe their pain to other study participants who were volunteers without the disease.
In this study appearing in an online edition of the journal Brain, study authors concluded that dealing with pain became problematic because diseased patients were unable to divert their attention from it, as healthy volunteers were able to do. If patients in the study who could still communicate found pain to be bewildering, it might be even more so for those with Alzheimer’s.
When words can no longer adequately express pain, doctors and other caregivers can look for facial expressions and body movements that show discomfort. Often, the Alzheimer’s patient’s caregiver has a greater capacity to understand these signals of pain than even their physicians. They look for signs of agitation, altered eye contact, grimacing, or other indications.
It is generally impossible to totally eliminate pain in Alzheimer’s patients or in other persons with chronic pain. The goal for those with Alzheimer’s Disease or other dementias should be to find greater levels of comfort and pain management.
Source: Web MD
October 1st, 2006
What distinguishes the normal memory changes of the aging process from symptoms of Alzheimer’s? Researchers at Rush University Medical Center studied brains from autopsy results of 134 older people who had been involved in a multi-year study in their last years. Most were Caucasians over age 80 who appeared to be mentally normal apart from minor forgetfulness.
Surprisingly, researchers found concentrations of waxy protein clumps typical of patients with full-blown Alzheimer’s in 36% of those who died during the study. None had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or even mild cognitive impairment in their final days.
All had performed well on memory examples, although those whose autopsies showed evidence of Alzheimer’s had slightly lower scores in episodic memory. That is, their recall of recently presented information was somewhat impaired. In other words, their brains could not store new information properly in order to recall it.
This recent study appeared in the June issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Scientists attempted to answer the question why some people with brain impairments found in Alzheimer’s patients (at autopsy) appeared to function normally while others become severely debilitated by the mind-robbing disease.
Scientists believe that high levels of education, feelings of social connectedness, and brain-stimulating activity may help individuals to function well despite their reduced brain capacity.
One in 10 persons over age 65 and almost half of persons over age 85 are afflicted with varying degrees of Alzheimer’s disease. Advancing age and family history seem to be risk factors that contribute to the condition. No single comprehensive test can positively diagnose Alzheimer’s while the person is living. A variety of tests and neurological exams are used to diagnose the disease that proves accurate about 90% of the time.
No medical treatment is able to cure or keep Alzheimer’s from progressing, but five FDA-approved drugs are now available to temporarily relieve some of the symptoms of the disease. Other drugs are under development.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, common symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease include:
• Memory loss that affects job skills
• Difficulty performing familiar tasks
• Problems with language
• Disorientation to time and place
• Poor or decreased judgment
• Problems with abstract thinking
• Placing items in inappropriate places
• Rapid changes in mood or behavior
• Dramatic changes in personality
• Loss of initiative
Normal memory changes in aging:
• Forgetting names or appointments
• Occasionally forgetting reasons for entering a room or the route to your destination
• Sometimes struggling to find the right word
• Forgetting the day or the week
• Temporarily misplacing keys or wallet
• Slight changes in personality
• Feeling weary of work or social obligations
Keeping mentally active through activities such as attempting cross-word puzzles, playing chess, reading books, and attempting new learning experiences may help to stave off the ravages of Alzheimer’s. Appropriate regular exercise is also thought to be helpful, as well.
Sources: MSNBC, Alzheimer’s Association
Technorati Tags: Cognitive Disorders, Alzheimer’s
July 10th, 2006
Recent evidence shows that being overweight in one’s 40s contributes to Alzheimer’s disease and similar brain dementias later in life. Other contributing factors are diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but fat itself appears to play an important role in brain impairment.
This new evidence concerning obesity and brain function was presented in April at the American Academy of Neurology in San Diego, CA. Study author Rachel A. Whitmer, a research scientist at Kaiser Permanente of Northern California, reported on her findings as part of a larger study of 9,000 Kaiser patients who were followed for 30 years.
Study participants submitted to measurements of thickness of skin folds both below the shoulder and at the back of the upper arm. Individuals with the thickest shoulder measurements were found to be almost three times as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease as those who had less thickness in these areas.
Maria Carrillo of the Alzheimer’s Association suggested that overweight people are often more sedentary. As a result, their arteries can become clogged and restrict blood flow. Healthy eating and exercise can contribute to healthy brain functioning, she indicated.
In 2006, 4.5 million Americans have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Risk rises as people age. By 2050, with longevity increasing, the number is expected to increase to 16 million persons with the brain disease.
Sources: MedicineNet.com; Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente of Northern California
April 11th, 2006