Treatment Options For Alzheimer's Disease

Usually around the age of 60, symptoms of Alzheimer's will start to manifest themselves if indeed the disease is present. Sometimes, these symptoms are dismissed as part of the ageing process but unfortunately in many cases, it is not just a question of getting old.

These symptoms can be broken down as follows . The person has difficulty performing otherwise familiar tasks, such as preparing a meal, opening a car window or using a household appliance. In the late stages, the patient will also have functional and behavioural symptoms. It manifests itself through cognitive symptoms (loss of memory and failure to learn new things) and emotional symptoms (anxiety and depression). Some patients also have psychotic symptoms such as delusions and 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.

The brain contains a vital chemical compound called acetylcholine which preserves the neurons in the brain. When the disease starts to take hold, another enzyme starts to attack - this is called acetylcholinesterase and will destroy the healthier enzymes. The drugs are aimed to stave off this attack and preserve the healthy enzymes. But these drugs have some side effects and the results vary a lot but in many cases, they do slow down the disease.

Some doctors prescribe the NSAIDs which are the nonsteroidal inflammatory drugs which are very well known, such as aspirin and ibuprofen. They have had mixed results too but do offer some protection from the nasty enzymes mentioned above. Gingko biloba is a well known plant extract used for many purposes but again, this has dangerous side effects although it has been shown to improve some brain function. Estrogen, a hormonal substance, is prescribed but there is a risk that it may cause strokes

Medication combined with care giving is the most common treatment for Alzheimer's at the moment as there is no known cure yet. The disease will progress and worsen resulting in a debilitating severe dementia in the final stages. About 70% of the 4 million Alzheimers sufferers live at home with their families so very often these family members need counselling.

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.

Is there anything you can do to prevent this disease ? Research now shows that diet can be very important in preventing this disease but obviously this needs to be thought of before the age of 65. Lots of fruit, vegetables and omega-3 foods have been shown to reduce the risk of this disease by as much as 60%. Beat-carotene (carrots, for example) have been shown to have the same effect. One of the most effective diets known to mankind is the Mediterranean Diet which has been the diet of millions of people in the Mediterranean area. The incidence of degenerative disease among these people is lower than many other countries and as a result, it has been the subject of much research.

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