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10 Things You Need to Know About Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that results in the loss of a person’s cognitive function, ability to complete daily tasks and causes various degrees of physical and emotional stress.

Here are 10 things you need to know about Alzheimer’s disease:

  1. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, which affects near 40 million people around the world, including 5 million Americans.
  2. Alzheimer’s disease is found to affect women double the rate of men. Alzheimer’s also progresses faster in women than men.
  3. Other health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure can lead to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s.
  4. According to research, individuals with a higher level of education have a lower chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease. A great way to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease when you’re older is to train your brain; learning a new language, how to play a musical instrument or just by taking academic classes are some ideas to strengthen your brain.
  5. Alzheimer’s disease is one of the top causes of death for older people. In 2010, 84,000 people were killed due to Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  6. As of this time, there is no definitive treatment to cure, inhibit progression, or prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
  7. Alzheimer’s is very costly. In 2016, the cost of providing medical care for Alzheimer’s patients in the U.S. was $236 billion.
  8. The neurogenerative disease was first discovered by a German doctor named Alois Alzheimer in 1906. During a post-mortem, Dr. Alzheimer noticed the patient’s brain had shrunk. The patient exhibited memory loss and other cognitive issues before death.
  9. Alzheimer’s disease is found to relate to a loss of the sense of smell. Loss of smell may be an early symptom of Alzheimer’s, doctor’s speculate.
  10. While the progression rate for Alzheimer’s disease is different from person to person, older patients typically live for 3 to 4 years, and younger diagnosed individuals could live for 10 years.

 

 

 

*Information presented sourced from healthline.com

Disclaimer

The information on Alzheimers.help is intended for informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice.  Please contact your medical professional about specific questions you may have about Alzheimer’s and Dementia diseases.

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