Know the Causes of Alzheimer’s disease

PRESINILE DEMENTIA & ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Alzheimer’s disease slowly but surely degenerates the human brain. As a result, the Alzheimer patient starts losing the faculties of memory and then speech.

For the Alzheimer patients and even their kith and kin, it is a painful phase of their lives. The near and dear ones have to patiently witness the retrogressive process of the sufferer surely turning out to be a baby again.

Hence, it is of utmost importance that the family members of such Alzheimer’s patients to be loving and caring towards the person(s) concerned.

EARLY-ONSET & LATE-ONSET ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Despite the extensive researches of German psychologist Alois Alzheimer and the subsequent publication of his studies in 1960, there is no unanimity among the medical detectives as to the exact cause(s) of Alzheimer’s disease. This ailment was up to then known as ‘Presenile dementia’. In recognition of the extensive contributions of Alois, the ailment was renamed as ‘Alzheimer’s disease’.

Notably, Alois succeeded in blasting many of the myths connected with this typical progressive disorder of the brain. The main ones were as follows:

First, that only youth in the age group of 30 plus was affected by ‘Presenile dementia;

Second that presenile dementia occurred but rarely.

Alois divided presinile dementia into two types. These were subsequently identified as the early and the late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Early onset Alzheimer’s disease is a rare occurrence. It affects people in the 30-50-age group. Roughly, 10 per cent of the four million cases of Alzheimer’s patients in America fall in the early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Studies have found that late-onset Alzheimer’s disease can also be divided into two groups according to the incidences or cases. Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease afflicts people in the 60-80-age bracket. This is also roughly 10 per cent of the total cases of Alzheimer’s disease in America.

The second instance is more than 50 per cent of the four million Americans affected by Alzheimer’s ailment. This is more common among the people in the 80-plus age group.

Roughly 10 per cent of the Americans beyond the 65 age group are affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Studies have also found that approximately 50 per cent of Americans in the 85 plus age bracket can be attacked by this progressive brain disorder.