Treatment Options For Alzheimer's Disease

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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.

When a person has difficulty in performing a normal daily task, then this may be a warning sign that Alzheimer's may be present. These tasks could be opening a window, using some appliance at home or a simple household task. In the later stages, behvioural problems emerge and loss of memory will begin to create problems for the sufferer and those around him/her. This,coupled with anxiety and depression and even hallucinations will create futher problems.

Many people assume that diagnosis is simple and easy. If only it were ! First of all, other possibilities have to be excluded. Before the diagnosis is confimed the patient is put through various laboratory tests and asked to take medical tests as well. Sometimes the diagnosis can be confirmed in one day but in other cases it may take up to several weeks.

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.

Other drugs too have been tried with mixed success. NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs ), the most common ones being aspirin and ibuprofen have been found to offer some protection. Another potential preventative drug is estrogen, but this can give rise to strokes. Gingko biloba, a popular plant extract associated with improving brain function, can have dangerous side effects too.

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.

Can we prevent this debilitating disease and what can we do about it ? Diet has been shown to be decisive and recent research just published shows that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, with whole grains, fish, garlic, olive oil and a little red meat will reduce your chances of contracting this disease - even by up to 60%. The Mediterranean Diet has been studied extensively for this very reason and now research has given it an accolade that very few other diets can even aspire to win.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

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