A day to remember: International Alzheimer's Day

Symptoms in most of the people affected by the disease appear for the first time after the age of 60. One out of every eight Americans over the age of 60 has Alzheimer.
By: PressRelease CC
 
Nov. 9, 2011 - PRLog -- A good day to remember…
World Alzheimer Day

•   Alzheimer is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory.
•   Symptoms in most of the people affected by the disease appear for the first time after the age of 60.
•   One out of every eight Americans over the age of 60 has Alzheimer.

Central America and the Caribbean, September 2011- More and more people over the age of 60 suffer from Alzheimer’s disease every day. This disease is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, defining dementia as the loss of ability to think, remember and reason, to the point of interfering with the life and daily activities of a person.

It is estimated that 5.4 million people in the United States alone, suffer from Alzheimer’s. Of these people, around 4% are 65 years old or younger, 6%are between the ages of 65 and 74, 45% between 75 and 84 years of age and 45% are 85 years of age or older.  

Among the most common symptoms associated to the disease are confusion, disorientation in familiar places, placing objects out of place and trouble speaking or writing. Because of this, the World Association for Alzheimer’s created a list of warning signs that will help identify the first signs of the disease:  

1.   Memory changes affecting daily routines.
2.   Difficulty in planning or solving problems.
3.   Difficulty in carrying out routine tasks at home, work or during free time.
4.   Confusion about time or places.
5.   Difficulty with understanding visual images and how objects relate to one another in a setting.
6.   New problems with spoken or written words.
7.   Placing objects out of place and a lack of ability to retrace steps and remember what was done.
8.   Decrease or lack of good judgment.
9.   Loss of initiative to be included at work or in social activities.
10.   Mood or personality changes.


Although what it is that starts the process of the disease is not well known, it is known that brain damage starts between 10 and 20 years before there is any apparent problem, and as neuron death increases, the affected regions in the brain begin to shrink. When the final phase of the disease approaches, the damages become widely expanded and brain tissue has diminished considerably.  

A disease in stages

As Alzheimer’s advances, memory loss continues and other changes in cognitive abilities appear. The problems may include getting lost, difficulty in handling money and paying bills, repeating questions, taking longer to finish normal daily routines and small changes in mood and personality. People are often diagnosed during this first stage called the ‘Early Stage”.

During the second stage, called “Moderate Stage”, damage occurs in brain areas controlling language, reasoning, sensory processing and conscious thinking. Loss of memory and confusion increase, and people begin having trouble recognizing family and friends. During the third and last stage, called “Severe Stage”, patients are unable to communicate and are completely dependent on others for their care. Close to the end, the person may spend most or all of the time in bed, as the body stops functioning.

Scientists still don’t fully understand what causes this disease, but it is clear that it develops because of a complex series of events going on in the brain during a long period of time. Also, one of the greatest mysteries of the disease is why it affects mostly the elderly. Studies evaluating how the brain normally changes with age are revealing this question and scientists are learning how changes in brain associated with age such as atrophy (reduction) in certain parts of the brain, inflammation and production of unstable molecules called free radicals may impair neurons and contribute to Alzheimer’s damages.  

Treating the disease

Alzheimer’s is a complex illness, and there is no “magic recipe” that can prevent or cure it. For this reason, the current treatments focus on helping people maintain their mental function, in managing symptoms associated with behavior and decrease, slow down or prevent the disease.  

Pfizer has developed Aricept® for these patients, a medication prescribed for treating mild, moderately severe and severe dementia from Alzheimer’s or from vascular disease (dementia associated with cardiovascular disease).


Aricept® must be taken orally, once a day and has shown that the clinically effective dose is 5 to 10 mg for patients with mild to moderately severe disease, while the clinically effective dose for patients with severe disease is 10mg. The treatment must start at 5mg and can go up to 10mg after 4 to 6 weeks.

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Freelance writer/reporter in English and Spanish
Bilingual Translator of news articles, press releases, various texts on biology, politics, etc.
Freelance consultant and liaison for Caribbean media for a Spanish-speaking latin american agency
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