Risk factors

While it is known that AD involves the failure of nerve cells, it's unclear why it happens and how it happens.

• Age. The greatest known risk factor for AD is increased age.
• Family history Risk increases if more than one family member has the disease.
• Genetics. Researchers have found several genes whose mutation could increase the risk of AD.
• Other risk factors. Excessive drinking, head injuries and cerebrovascular disease,hypertension, diabetes, smoking and overweight also seem to increase the risk of AD.

Early symptoms

AD causes changes in the brain, which can change how people behave. Early detection is very important for the treatment of this serious disease.

• Memory loss
• Problems with keeping track of things
• Difficulty performing familiar tasks
• Misplacing things
• Problems with language
• Changes in mood or behaviour
• Disorientation to time and place
• Changes in personality
• Poor or decreased judgement
• Loss of initiative

Serious global public health challenges

• There are over 9.9 million new cases of AD each year worldwide, implying one new case every 3.2 seconds.
• 58% of all people with AD live in countries currently classified by the World Bank as low or middle income countries.
• The total cost worldwide of AD in 2015 is almost US$ 818 billion which would rise to US$ 2 trillion by 2030.
• While AD does shorten the lives of those affected, its greatest impact is upon quality of life, both for patients and families.

Current diagnostic process

There is no single test that proves a person has Alzheimer's. Workups are designed to evaluate the overall health and identify any condition that could affect how the mind is working. When other conditions are ruled out, doctor can determine if it is AD or other types of dementia.

• Understanding the problem
• Reviewing medical history
• Evaluating mood and mental status
• Physical exam and diagnostic tests
• Neurological exam

Current treatment

Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer's and no way to stop the underlying death of brain cells, however, medications and non-drug treatments may help with both cognitive and behavioral symptoms.

• Medications for memory: Only three types of drugs are approved by the FDA to treat cognitive symptoms of AD so far. They are cholinesterase inhibitor (Aricept®, Exelon® and Razadyne®), glutamate regulator (Namenda®) and their combination (Namzaric®).
• Treatments for behavior: The chief cause of behavioral symptoms is the progressive deterioration of brain cells. Non-drug approaches to managing behavior symptoms promote physical and emotional comfort...
• Treatments for sleep changes: As with changes in memory and behavior, sleep changes somehow result from the impact of Alzheimer's on the brain. When managing sleep changes, non-drug coping strategies are always tried first.