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Treatment Options For Alzheimer's Disease |
By:
Robert William Locke |
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Treatment Options For Alzheimer's Disease
Robert William Locke
It is usually in the 60's that symptoms of Alzheimer's disease can start appearing. Very often they are dismissed as just 'getting old'. In many cases unfortunately, these symptoms have much more serious consequences thanjust getting forgetful or just getting old.
The first alarming signal is when the person affected has marked difficulty in doing simple tasks which previously they performed with ease. These can range from opening a car door to getting a meal ready or using a simple household appliance. As the disease progresses into the later stages, the person will display behavioural symptoms. Loss of memory and a failure to grasp new things together with anxiety and depression are common symptoms. Some persons suffer from hallucinations.
Diagnosis of this disease is never simple or straightforward and will start by excluding other possibilities. The patient will be asked to take a number of laboratory tests such as medical tests and laboratory measurements. The actual diagnosis can take up to several weeks in some difficult cases although sometimes just one day will be sufficient.
What treatment options are there ? Medication now consists of various drugs which try to protect a chemical compound called acetylcholine, which is important for the functioning of neurons in the brain. These drugs help to preserve these essential enzymes which are damaged by another enzyme called acetylcholinesterase.There are considerable side effects of these drugs and the results are not significant is many cases but they can slow down the disease.
Other drugs too have been tried with mixed success. NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs ), the most common ones being aspirin and ibuprofen have been found to offer some protection. Another potential preventative drug is estrogen, but this can give rise to strokes. Gingko biloba, a popular plant extract associated with improving brain function, can have dangerous side effects too.
How long does the disease last ? The course of the disease and how rapidly the Alzheimers symptoms progress from simple forgetfulness to severe dementia, can take anything from five to ten years. About 70% of the 4 million with Alzheimers disease (in the USA) live at home receiving care from family members. Although there is no cure currently for the disease, the primary Alzheimer treatment is medication as well as concerned care giving.
Patients and families both go through a traumatic time during the progress of the disease. The fact that the disease is a degenerative one provides challenges for all carers. When the final stages occur, the patient will not be able to communicate at all with his or her loved ones which only increases the stress on the health care proxy.
Many people ask abut prevention as they worry about their old age and wonder if the same thing could happen to them. Prevention is key and reserach now shows that diet can play a very important role. The Mediterranean Diet has been studied for a very long time and the people who follow it have a low incidence of heart disease and senile dementia. Research shows that fruit, vegetables, fish and whole grains with little red meat are decisive in prevention of this disease - even by as much as 60%!
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Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article61774.html |
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