Alzheimer's risk higher if your mother had cognitive problems
The genetic risk of developing Alzheimer's disease is more strongly influenced by the mother's side than the father's side, a recent study has discovered.
11 hours ago
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The genetic risk of developing Alzheimer's disease is more strongly influenced by the mother's side than the father's side, a recent study has discovered.
11 hours ago
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31
Tampere University researchers developed a method to map mechanistic connections between diseases, revealing deeper associations beyond traditional classifications based on affected organs and symptoms. This multi-dimensional ...
Jun 28, 2024
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A large team of neuroscientists, biochemists and Alzheimer's specialists affiliated with institutions in the U.S. and Iceland has created a protein map to look for patterns in cerebrospinal fluid that may serve as markers ...
The Alzheimer's Association has published revised criteria for the diagnosis and staging of Alzheimer's disease that are based on the biology of the disease and reflect recent advancements in research, diagnostics and treatment.
Jun 28, 2024
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Alzheimer's disease is a progressive disorder that causes brain cells to waste away and die. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, which is a term used to describe a group of symptoms that affect memory, ...
Jun 28, 2024
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Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have found a potential link between putative retinal gliosis and Alzheimer's disease. The study, published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, demonstrates ...
Jun 26, 2024
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The blood-brain barrier—a network of blood vessels and tissues that nurtures and protects the brain from harmful substances circulating in the blood—is disrupted in Alzheimer's disease. Now, researchers at Mayo Clinic ...
Jun 26, 2024
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Years after questions were raised about their integrity, two of the University of Minnesota's highest-profile scientific discoveries have been retracted in one week—one that offered hope over the therapeutic potential of ...
Jun 26, 2024
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Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine and the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Aging say their study of 40 older adults with obesity and insulin resistance who were randomly assigned to either an intermittent ...
Jun 25, 2024
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Trying to figure out whether someone has Alzheimer's disease usually involves a battery of assessments—interviews, brain imaging, blood and cerebrospinal fluid tests. But, by then, it's probably already too late: memories ...
Jun 25, 2024
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Alzheimer's disease (AD), also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease, is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death. It was first described by German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906 and was named after him.
Most often, AD is diagnosed in people over 65 years of age, although the less-prevalent early-onset Alzheimer's can occur much earlier. In 2006, there were 26.6 million sufferers worldwide. Alzheimer's is predicted to affect 1 in 85 people globally by 2050.
Although Alzheimer's disease develops differently for every individual, there are many common symptoms. Early symptoms are often mistakenly thought to be 'age-related' concerns, or manifestations of stress. In the early stages, the most common symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. When AD is suspected, the diagnosis is usually confirmed with tests that evaluate behaviour and thinking abilities, often followed by a brain scan if available.
As the disease advances, symptoms can include confusion, irritability and aggression, mood swings, trouble with language, and long-term memory loss. As the sufferer declines they often withdraw from family and society. Gradually, bodily functions are lost, ultimately leading to death. Since the disease is different for each individual, predicting how it will affect the person is difficult. AD develops for an unknown and variable amount of time before becoming fully apparent, and it can progress undiagnosed for years. On average, the life expectancy following diagnosis is approximately seven years. Fewer than three percent of individuals live more than fourteen years after diagnosis.
The cause and progression of Alzheimer's disease are not well understood. Research indicates that the disease is associated with plaques and tangles in the brain. Current treatments only help with the symptoms of the disease. There are no available treatments that stop or reverse the progression of the disease. As of 2012[update], more than 1000 clinical trials have been or are being conducted to find ways to treat the disease, but it is unknown if any of the tested treatments will work. Mental stimulation, exercise, and a balanced diet have been suggested as possible ways to delay symptoms in healthy older individuals, but they have not been proven as effective.
Because AD cannot be cured and is degenerative, the sufferer relies on others for assistance. The role of the main caregiver is often taken by the spouse or a close relative. Alzheimer's disease is known for placing a great burden on caregivers; the pressures can be wide-ranging, involving social, psychological, physical, and economic elements of the caregiver's life. In developed countries, AD is one of the most costly diseases to society.
This text uses material from Wikipedia licensed under CC BY-SA