What is Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder which is a common form of dementia.
- 5.5 million people in the United States
- 47 million people worldwide
- $183 billion annually for caring patients
Alzheimer’s disease progresses in several stages: preclinical, mild (sometimes called early-stage), moderate, and severe (sometimes called late-stage).
The early sign of AD is memory problem which is related to cognitive impairment.
How Is Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosed?
Health history:
Doctor may want to know from patient and family or friends:
current and past medicines, diet, change in behavior and personalityMental State Exam:
- Memory
- Problem-solving skills
- Attention
- Counting
- language
- Brain Scan：
Computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or positron emission tomography (PET)
Causes and risk factors
In a person with Alzheimer’s, the tissue has fewer and fewer nerve cells and connections.
Autopsies have shown that the nerve tissue in the brain of a person with Alzheimer’s has tiny deposits, known as plaques and tangles, that build up on the tissue.
The plaques are found between the dying brain cells, and they are made from a protein known as beta-amyloid.
The tangles occur within the nerve cells, and they are made from another protein, called tau.
Researchers do not fully understand why these changes occur. Several different factors are believed to be involved.
