Alzheimer’s disease (AD)

Definition

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, affecting at least three to four million people in the United States. AD is defined as memory loss with at least one other area of cognitive impairment (e.g., language, attention, orientation, self-monitoring, judgment, motor skill, inability to perform daily activities). Memory loss typically begins at about age 65 and slowly progresses to severe impairment over 8 to 10 years, but it may present sooner and advance at a different rate. Language deficits are prominent, including word finding (especially nouns), comprehension, repetition, and fluency. Social graces, which may remain surprisingly intact for years, eventually deteriorate to a loss of inhibition with periods of aggression or withdrawal. Personality and behavioral changes as well as problems in judgment occur with increasing severity. Death usually occurs from malnutrition, heart disease, or infection. Clinical diagnosis cannot be definitively confirmed without autopsy. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Alzheimer's disease
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