Alois Alzheimer was studying dementia patients in 1906 and came to the conclusion that problems that were afflicting his patients was a disease separate from all other known disorders. The degenerative, terminal and incurable disease that bares his name is the most common form of dementia known to man. The disease is most often diagnosed in the elderly but there are no rules that say it can not start affecting people much earlier. Alzheimer’s disease is believed to affect twenty six million people and the number is only going to increase as the world’s population ages. The cause of Alzheimer’s is not well understood, but as research progresses there is hope that one day Alzheimer’s disease treatments will eradicate the disease. What is known about the disease is that it causes plaques and tangles within the brain. The disease has been divided into four stages: pre-dementia, early, moderate and advanced. In pre-dementia, the decrease in cognitive functioning is attributed to old age and often ignored. During early and moderate stages of the disease, cognitive functions of the patients decrease so much that patient independence is somewhat compromised. Once the patient hits the final stage of the disease, the patient is totally dependent on a caregiver.Alzheimer’s Disease signs can be difficult to identify. Diagnosis of the disease is difficult and for some can take a very long time. Since the disease affects the elderly you really need to pay attention to any changes in their daily cognitive recognition and responses. If you feel that there are decreases in responsiveness, it never hurts to take your loved one to a physician. Once a diagnosis has been made there really is not much that can be done. The average patient will live only seven years after the diagnosis, with three percent living longer than fourteen years. No two patients experience the disease exactly the same way. Alzheimer’s Disease symptoms are often comparable, but do not always ensure that a person is inflicted with the disease. Some common Alzheimer’s Disease symptoms include: not being able to acquire new memories, lacking the ability to remember something that happened earlier in the day, frequent confusion and mild aggression. As the disease moves on to the more advance stages, patients often experience irritability, mood swings, long-term memory loss and can eventually go through a general withdrawal from society.

Alzheimer’s Disease treatment consists of many different strategies. Since there is no known cure for the disease, the goal of most treatments is to slow the progression of the disease. There are drugs that can be prescribed to help slow the disease. The drugs available do not show much improvement and sometimes family members of patients do not even see any noticeable improvement. Since patients do suffer from aggression and mood swings, many Alzheimer’s drugs are aimed at decreasing the mood swings and violent behavior. When diagnosed it is important to stop taking pills that can increase confusion. These pills include painkillers, sleeping pills, antihistamines and depressants. There are many people that feel daily vitamins can decrease the likely hood that Alzheimer’s Disease develops. Ginkgo Biloba is one common supplement that is often associated with treating Alzheimer’s Disease. When it comes down to it, there is no evidence that shows daily vitamins or Ginkgo Biloba have any affect on the disease. One of the most affective treatments for the disease is behavior therapy. Since medicine does not have much affect against the progression of Alzheimer’s, therapy that helps the patient deal with the disease might be the best option. Alzheimer’s Disease is an awful affliction. To find more in depth Alzheimer’s Disease information, check with any medical doctor or do the research yourself using an online medical journal.