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What Is the Meaning of the Name Alzheimer's?

Alois Alzheimer a physician of German origin who lived from 1864 to 1915. Alzheimer earned great success as a professor of psychology in Breaslau. His main interest was histopathology, the study of disease tissue. Alzheimer is also created as being one of the founding fathers of neuropathology, the study of disease of the nervous system tissue.

  1. History

    • On November 4, 1906, Alois Alzheimer gave a lecture for the first time on a type of dementia that he had observed in patients. Alzheimer's main case study, Auguste D--a 51-year-old woman from Frankfurt--showed several progressive signs of dementia. Auguste D was admitted to the Frankfurt hospital with a cluster of symptoms: reduced comprehension and memory, aphasia, disorientation, unpredictable behavior, paranoia, auditory hallucinations and pronounced psychosocial impairment.

    Disease

    • Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, and it affects more than 5.2 million people in the United States. Alzheimer's is a degenerative disease that develops slowly over time, and the symptoms and disease worsen over time. Age is the main risk factor for the disease, and the mortality rate is 5.7 years for women and 4.2 years for men.

    Affects

    • Alzheimer's disease affects the nerve cells in the brain. These cells are vital for memory and other mental abilities. The connection between nerve cells is disrupted by the lower levels of chemicals that carry messages back and forth between nerve cells. This disruption affects memory, judgment and thinking, and hinders the ability to handle day-to-day activities.

    Treatments

    • There is no known cure for Alzheimer's disease. The cognitive and behavioral symptoms can be managed with medications and non-drug treatments. Medications such as acetylcholine deal with the breakdown with the chemical messenger that is important to the patients' learning and memory capabilities. Medications such as Aricept, Exelon and Razadyne delay the onset of symptoms for 6 to 12 months.

      Before any medication is prescribed, a patient suspected of having Alzheimer's disease should get a thorough physical exam. An exam can help you recognize that a person is not just acting "mean or ornery" and can help you realize that her behavior is an extension of the disease.

    Expert Insight

    • In order to become informed about Alzheimer's disease the patient and family members should ask questions that will enable them to weigh the best possible treatment options. Ask the physician questions, such as: How does he determine the effectiveness of the prescribed drug? What type of side effects should you look for? Will the Alzheimer's medication affect other medications prescribed for different conditions? At what stage should you stop using the drug? When should you call the doctor? The investigative technique used to diagnosis Alzheimer's disease is basically the same technique used since 1906.

      Alzheimer's disease was named by Emil Kraepelin in honor of his colleague for being the first to discover the disease.

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