Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia. This incurable, degenerative, and terminal disease was first described by German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906 and was named after him. Generally it is diagnosed in people over 65 years of age, although the less-prevalent early-onset Alzheimer's can occur much earlier. An estimated 26.6 million people worldwide had Alzheimer's in 2006; this number may quadruple by 2050.
Although each sufferer experiences Alzheimer's in a unique way, there are many common symptoms. The earliest observable symptoms are often mistakenly thought to be 'age-related' concerns, or manifestations of stress. In the early stages, the most commonly recognised symptom is memory loss, such as difficulty in remembering recently learned facts. When a doctor or physician has been notified, and Alzheimer's disease is suspected, the diagnosis is usually confirmed with behavioural assessments and cognitive tests, often followed by a brain scan if available. As the disease advances, symptoms include confusion, irritability and aggression, mood swings, language breakdown, long-term memory loss, and the general withdrawal of the sufferer as their senses decline. Gradually, bodily functions are lost, ultimately leading to death. Individual prognosis is difficult to assess, as the duration of the disease varies. Alzheimer's disease develops for an indeterminate period of time before becoming fully apparent, and it can progress undiagnosed for years. The mean 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. Currently used treatments offer a small symptomatic benefit; no treatments to delay or halt the progression of the disease are as yet available. As of 2008, more than 500 clinical trials were investigating possible treatments for Alzheimer's disease, but it is unknown if any of them will prove successful. Many measures have been suggested for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease, but their value is unproven in slowing the course and reducing the severity of the disease. Mental stimulation, exercise, and a balanced diet are often recommended, as both a possible prevention and a sensible way of managing the disease.
Because Alzheimer's disease cannot be cured and is degenerative, management of patients is essential. 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, Alzheimer's disease is one of the most economically costly diseases to society.
When your phone can remember all your favourite numbers, and your computer all the many details of daily life, to a large extent we no longer need to ourselves remember as many items as we used to. We just need to know how to find them.
Some things though - like where you live and what your car (or partner) look like, are vitally important. And these are often lost in the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
Very early in the onset of the disease though, new research1 indicates that it becomes hard for sufferers to prioritise information - to sift the wheat from the chaff and concentrate on what it is important to remember and what can safely be forgotten. The paper, published in the May 2009 issue of Neuropsychology, the journal of the American Psychological Association, found that the Alzheimer's groups were significantly less efficient than their healthy age peers at remembering items according to their value.
The researchers speculate that people with early-stage Alzheimer's might remember important information better by learning to be more strategic and selective when encoding the most useful information, even though it comes at the expense of less-important information. They believe that improved memory training, emphasizing the relative importance of pieces of data and including strategies for prioritising these, may help reduce this symptom in the early stages of the disease.
There is more evidence that coffee has a beneficial effect on Alzheimer's disease, at least in mice. Previously1 research has suggested a protective effect from caffeine.
The new research2 suggests that drinking coffee could reverse memory problems seen in Alzheimer's disease. As little as 5 cups of ordinary coffee (or 2 typical lattes from your local Starbucks) would be equivalent to the dosage given to the mice in the study.
The results seem to even show that a reversal of existing memory failure, a typical symptom of Alzheimer's, could be possible.
The study used 55 mice which had been bred to develop symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. The mice were given tests to confirm they were suffering from memory impairment at the age at which mice become senior citizens - between 18 and 19 months old. Half the mice were given caffeine in their drinking water, the control group were given plain water.
When the test were repeated after two months, the ones who were given the caffeine performed much better on tests measuring their memory and thinking skills than previously, and even performed as well as mice of the same age without the dementia. The control group without caffeine did not improve at all.
Earlier research by the same team had shown younger mice, who had also been bred to develop Alzheimer's but who were given caffeine in their early adulthood, were protected against the onset of memory problems.
Of course, warnings3 were sounded by charities concerned with Alzheimer's, indicating that more research would be required to see if the result also applied in humans. But the fact that caffeine is considered a safe drug for most people. Millions drink 5 or more cups a day and it seems they may even be able to point to a good reason for doing so.