An Overview of Alzheimer’s

Defined as one of the many types of dementia, Alzheimer’s is the general term for memory loss in the older generation. In 60 to 80% of the dementia cases in America, Alzheimer’s is the cause.

An Alzheimer’s genetic risk is often something that can be a problem for multiple generations of a family. Though no one knows exactly what causes it, having an older relative that is or was suffering from it is the biggest indication that a younger person may end up inflicted with it in the future.

If you suspect that a loved one is suffering, they can be taken to a doctor for an Alzheimer’s disease test. The tests that can be administered include an MRI, CT scan, and a PET scan. A blood test is also performed so that doctors can determine if early onset Alzheimer’s is a risk. Those who have an early onset of the disease can often attribute it to family history. During the testing process, the APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2 genes can be detected. Mutations of one, two or all three genes is a strong indicator that the disease will set in at an early age. However, the testing is not full proof as someone can test negative for these genes and still be inflicted with the disease earlier in life than normal.

In rare cases, the early onset genes can be detected in prenatal testing. However, this is generally only done if there is a family history of the disease. Even if the Alzheimer’s disease gene is detected at this point, it does not necessarily mean that an unborn child will be afflicted with Alzheimer’s later in life.

Aside from genetic testing, a diagnosis of this disease may also involve brain imaging and neuropsychological tests. These are the most common type that one generally thinks of when an Alzheimer’s diagnosis is a possibility. It often involves asking the patient to remember a series of numbers or ensuring they know the correct date, including month, day and year.

When a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease has been made, there are treatment options at a patient’s disposal. Thanks to the dedication of medical professionals and researchers, there are now five drugs that have been approved to treat this condition. The only drawback is that the drugs in question are still not capable of slowing down the progression of Alzheimer’s and no drug has been found that can cure it.

However, experts in the medical industry have been working on new drugs that would interrupt the disease before it has a chance to cause damage. The new drugs are meant to manipulate the changes in one’s brain that signify the disease.

In the meantime, treatment options include two drug types; Memantine, otherwise known as Namenda, and Cholinesterase inhibitors. These drugs are currently being used while the development of the new drugs mentioned above is underway. It remains to be seen whether or not the development of these new drugs will mean for Alzheimer’s patients.