"Alzheimer’s disease is set to become our next big medical terror. In the early 1900s, it was infectious diseases. From 1950 to around 1975, it was heart disease; and then from the mid-1970s to now, it has been cancer. But rising rapidly in our consciousness, Alzheimer’s looks ready to take its place as our new collective bogey man.
So, what is Alzheimer’s? First, let’s separate dementia and Alzheimer’s, as they are not the same thing. Dementia refers to a progressive decline in cognitive function beyond what might be expected from normal aging. Alzheimer’s is only one possible cause; strokes, for example, may damage parts of the brain and lead to dementia. Common prescription drugs such as sleep aids, anti-anxiety drugs, antidepressants, allergy drugs, and even cold remedies can cause dementia as a side effect. Medical authorities say that side effects from prescription drugs are responsible for only a minority cases, but even according to these conservative sources, such side effects may still represent 15-30 percent of all dementia diagnoses. Alzheimer’s, on the other hand, is defined by two distinct brain abnormalities: amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.
An estimated 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, a number that has more than doubled since 1980. Worldwide, it is estimated that there are currently 18 million people with Alzheimer’s disease. This figure is projected to nearly double by 2025 to 34 million people and reach 52 million by 2050. The cost of Alzheimer’s in the United States alone was estimated to be $67.3 billion in 1991, climbing to at least $100 billion based on 1994 data, with projections of at least $160 billion a year by 2010.
Scientists do not yet fully understand what causes Alzheimer’s disease. Truth be told, there probably is no one single cause, but several factors that affect each person differently. The greatest known risk factor for Alzheimer’s is increasing age. Most individuals with the disease are sixty-five or older. The likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s doubles about every five years after age sixty-five; after age eighty-five, the risk reaches nearly 50 percent.
Risk genes increase the likelihood of developing the disease, but do not guarantee it will happen. Scientists have so far identified one Alzheimer’s risk gene called apoliporotein E-e4 (APOE-e4). They have also found rare genes that directly cause Alzheimer’s but in only a few hundred extended families worldwide.
There appears to be a strong link between serious head injury and future risk of Alzheimer’s. Modest head trauma, however, seems to produce no increased risk. Some of the strongest evidence links brain health to heart health. Your brain is nourished by one of the body’s richest networks of blood vessels. Every heartbeat pumps about 20 to 25 percent of your blood to your head, where brain cells use at least 20 percent of the food and oxygen your blood carries. Reduce that flow, and you damage your brain.
One study linked sufferers of diabetes to a 65 percent higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. A more recent study puts the risk at almost double. New research also indicates that inflammatory stress leading to metabolic changes in brain proteins may be a significant factor. And, finally, there is the much debated aluminum connection. Much of the ambiguity may be because researchers are looking at the wrong culprit. There are indications that aluminum by itself may not be a significant trigger for Alzheimer’s, but aluminum and fluoride together may be."
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So, what is Alzheimer’s? First, let’s separate dementia and Alzheimer’s, as they are not the same thing. Dementia refers to a progressive decline in cognitive function beyond what might be expected from normal aging. Alzheimer’s is only one possible cause; strokes, for example, may damage parts of the brain and lead to dementia. Common prescription drugs such as sleep aids, anti-anxiety drugs, antidepressants, allergy drugs, and even cold remedies can cause dementia as a side effect. Medical authorities say that side effects from prescription drugs are responsible for only a minority cases, but even according to these conservative sources, such side effects may still represent 15-30 percent of all dementia diagnoses. Alzheimer’s, on the other hand, is defined by two distinct brain abnormalities: amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.
An estimated 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, a number that has more than doubled since 1980. Worldwide, it is estimated that there are currently 18 million people with Alzheimer’s disease. This figure is projected to nearly double by 2025 to 34 million people and reach 52 million by 2050. The cost of Alzheimer’s in the United States alone was estimated to be $67.3 billion in 1991, climbing to at least $100 billion based on 1994 data, with projections of at least $160 billion a year by 2010.
Scientists do not yet fully understand what causes Alzheimer’s disease. Truth be told, there probably is no one single cause, but several factors that affect each person differently. The greatest known risk factor for Alzheimer’s is increasing age. Most individuals with the disease are sixty-five or older. The likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s doubles about every five years after age sixty-five; after age eighty-five, the risk reaches nearly 50 percent.
Risk genes increase the likelihood of developing the disease, but do not guarantee it will happen. Scientists have so far identified one Alzheimer’s risk gene called apoliporotein E-e4 (APOE-e4). They have also found rare genes that directly cause Alzheimer’s but in only a few hundred extended families worldwide.
There appears to be a strong link between serious head injury and future risk of Alzheimer’s. Modest head trauma, however, seems to produce no increased risk. Some of the strongest evidence links brain health to heart health. Your brain is nourished by one of the body’s richest networks of blood vessels. Every heartbeat pumps about 20 to 25 percent of your blood to your head, where brain cells use at least 20 percent of the food and oxygen your blood carries. Reduce that flow, and you damage your brain.
One study linked sufferers of diabetes to a 65 percent higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. A more recent study puts the risk at almost double. New research also indicates that inflammatory stress leading to metabolic changes in brain proteins may be a significant factor. And, finally, there is the much debated aluminum connection. Much of the ambiguity may be because researchers are looking at the wrong culprit. There are indications that aluminum by itself may not be a significant trigger for Alzheimer’s, but aluminum and fluoride together may be."
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thanks for feedback, hope from U to share this!