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Minnesota
Department of Health
Alzheimer’s disease
is an age-related brain disorder that gradually destroys a person’s ability to
remember, think, learn and carry out even simple tasks.
“Dementia” describes
a variety of diseases and conditions that damage brain cells and impair brain
function, which includes Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer’s disease
is the most common type of dementia and accounts for sixty to eighty percent of
cases.
It is often difficult
to distinguish among the types of dementias.
Some of the change
processes in the brain are similar in the different types of dementia.
Consequently, people
with the different types of dementia and their families face many similar
challenges.
Common types of
dementia:
Alzheimer's disease
Vascular dementia
Dementia with Lewy
Bodies (DLB)
Mixed dementia
Parkinson's disease
dementia
Frontotemporal
dementia
Creutzfeldt-Jacob
disease
Normal pressure
hydrocephalus
Huntington's disease
Wernicke-Korsakoff
Syndrome
Brain health
Our brain health and
our thinking and reasoning abilities, called cognition, may decline as we get
older.
Changes are gradual;
they vary from no change to small changes (mild congitive impairment) or severe
changes (dementia).
Most agree that the
components of good brain health include:
language
thought
memory
ability to plan and
carry out tasks
judgment
attention
perception
remembered skills
the ability to live a
purposeful life
Some people never
develop a serious decline in cognitive function and not all who develop mild
cognitive impairment develop dementia.
Talk to a health care
professional about concerns regarding changes in memory, thinking or reasoning.
Causes of Alzheimer's
disease and related dementias
The causes of
Alzheimer’s disease are not currently known, but research suggests a
combination of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors may contribute and
affect each individual differently.
The most recognized
risk factor for developing cognitive decline and dementia is advancing age.
According to the
National Instititute on Aging, the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease
doubles every 5 years after age 65.
And, the number of
people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia increases dramatically
after age eighty.
Who has Alzheimer's
disease and related dementias?
Experts estimate more
than 5.5 million Americans may have Alzheimer's disease.
More than ninety
percent of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia cases occur in people age
sixty and older.
A small number of
people, age thirty to sixty years, develop “early-onset” Alzheimer’s disease.
This “early-onset” form of the disease often runs in families.
In American
communities, only about half of the people who would meet the criteria for
Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias have been diagnosed.
In addition, there is
a higher incidence of Alzheimer's disease and dementia among Blacks and
Hispanics compared to non-Hispanic Whites.
The Alzheimer's
Association estimates 14 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s disease by
2050, with many more affected by other forms of dementia.
Prevention and
treatment
Currently there are
no medications or other interventions that definitively prevent, treat or cure
these conditions and medical professionals are unable to diagnose the disease
before symptoms occur.
Scientists are
evaluating whether strategies like exercise, changes in food habits,
maintaining relationships with friends and family or “brain games” can prevent
or slow Alzheimer’s disease or related conditions.
These activities also
could improve quality of life for the person with memory loss and the care
partner.
The medical field is
still learning about this disease, and health professionals' knowledge and
understanding continues to grow as research, technology and clinical practices
evolve.
Minnesota Department of Health
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