The Alzheimer's Epidemic. Danton O'Day
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Название: The Alzheimer's Epidemic
Автор: Danton O'Day
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Медицина
isbn: 9781456613563
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The problem is these numbers are increasing with a new case of Alzheimer’s disease occurring every 7 seconds. Based on statistical analyses of our aging populations, it is projected that the number of Alzheimer’s sufferers will double every 20 years. Thus there is no doubt that the disease is on the verge of truly reaching epidemic proportions with devastating implications to societies worldwide. The Alzheimer’s crisis has started and scientists are trying to deal with it. It has been argued that if the onset of Alzheimer’s disease can be delayed by a single year through therapeutic intervention then there would be around nine million fewer cases than expected by 2050!
Thus, with a new case being diagnosed every seven seconds worldwide, Alzheimer’s disease is on the brink of reaching devastating epidemic proportions as the world population ages and more sufferers appear. Is this a stoppable epidemic or one that will drain our personal and societal resources both emotionally and financially? At present, with no cure on the horizon, the epidemic seems all the more daunting.
To add to this concern, at present there are no drugs that can stop the progression of the disease. Those that are available can alleviate the symptoms of Alzheimer’s but only for a limited time. Why is this? It is because no one truly understands what causes the disease. While many of the symptoms and the phases of progression of the disease are known, what precipitates Alzheimer’s disease remains a mystery. As we will see, even the suspects that are believed to cause the neurological degeneration that occurs in Alzheimer’s disease in fact may not be the initial cause of the disease. Will we end up spending billions of dollars investigating the wrong culprits?
This book is not designed to offer false hope. It is designed to offer realistic hope—and there is hope. This volume aims to give hope by explaining what we do know about the onset, development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. It will reveal the primary targets of research and exactly what is being done to knock out those targets. It will provide hope by showing that all of the past research has not been in vain—it has set the stage for a successful future. Inroads are being made into this complex and, as yet, poorly understood disease. Hope lies on the horizon—just how far away that horizon is remains to be determined. This chapter will provide an overview of subjects and issues that subsequent chapters will deal with in detail. So let’s begin with a look at what the disease is and what are believed to be the primary causes.
Three Types of Alzheimer’s Disease
The two major delineations of Alzheimer’s disease are based on when the symptoms of the disease appear while the third is due to a chromosomal defect (Figure 1.1). The predominant form of Alzheimer’s disease occurs in people after the age of 65. It is called late-onset Alzheimer’s disease or LOAD, an acronym used by workers in the field. A smaller proportion of sufferers fall into the category of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, which some refer to as EOAD. In other words, early-onset sufferers are people who get Alzheimer’s prior to age 65 and typically at a much younger age. The early-onset cohort has allowed researchers to find certain genes that are linked to the disease, as detailed in Chapter 12. The early-onset form of the disease contributes to about 10–15% of Alzheimer’s cases and usually begins in one’s 50s or 60s but can occur earlier in life. The third group of Alzheimer’s disease individuals comes from those with Down syndrome. Down syndrome individuals develop Alzheimer’s at a comparatively early age: symptoms often appear around the mid-40s, with the average age of diagnosis being in the mid-50s. Just as important, the disease progresses rapidly in those with the syndrome.
Figure 1.1. The three main categories of Alzheimer’s disease.
While there is a clear genetic basis for the onset of Alzheimer’s disease in Down syndrome persons, as clarified in Chapter 12, this can’t be used to explain the late- or early-onset forms of the disease that occur in non-Down-syndrome individuals. The bottom line is, while each form of the disease can provide insight, they are fundamentally different. To add to this complexity, the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease vary markedly from person to person. This has prompted some researchers to argue Alzheimer’s is not a disease but a syndrome. In this volume we will cover all forms of the disease with a primary focus on late-onset Alzheimer’s disease because it is the cause of the largest number of cases of the disease—it is the primary cause of the Alzheimer’s epidemic.
Fighting the Odds
There is no guarantee that you can avoid Alzheimer’s disease. While early-onset Alzheimer’s disease begins to appear before the age of 65, late-onset Alzheimer’s disease typically occurs long after 65 years of age. As detailed in Chapter 12 in this book, the early-onset form is primarily driven by inheritance. It is due to mutations in three different genes that lead to abnormal levels of amyloid beta peptide. In contrast, late-onset Alzheimer’s disease has not been proven to be caused by specific gene mutations; while there are genetic links, it appears to be a result of the combination of aging and lifestyle among other contributing factors. Thus, eating a healthy, well-balanced diet is one thing a person can do to decrease the odds of developing the late-onset form of the disease. Coupling this with regular exercise and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle can also help. Using one’s brain actively in various activities like crossword puzzles, Sudoku, etc. is believed to help stave off memory decline. As you might expect, passively watching shows on TV is less than beneficial.
Lifestyles and Alzheimer’s Disease
While medical researchers define stages of Alzheimer’s, the development of the disease doesn’t involve a stepwise sequence of events. It is a continuum that begins with mild cognitive issues and can progress resulting in severe cognitive defects and dementia. So when an individual begins to show signs that might suggest changes in their ability to remember or reason, this doesn’t mean that this will immediately lead to the next step which would be much more severe. In fact, mild cognitive issues may not progress at all. If they do, their rate of progression can vary markedly from individual to individual. Thus it is important to understand the significance of lifestyle in the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease as well as other cognitive diseases. But remember, while you can do all the right things to decrease the odds that you will suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, there is no guarantee that doing so will help you avoid the disease. That is why we need to develop improved methods for detecting, slowing and one day stopping the disease.
We All Forget Things but Alzheimer’s Is Different
We all forget things. Where did we put our keys? What’s the name of this person I just bumped into in the mall? These are short-term memory losses everyone faces—but what would it be like to forget everything? To forget the people we love? To not remember where we live? To not know who we are? As if that’s not bad enough, there is also the loss of the ability to reason. Ultimately all communication with the world around you can be lost. These are some of the effects of Alzheimer’s disease—a progressive and irretrievable loss of memory, a slow descent into a new world that cannot be understood.
We all know when we have forgotten something or can’t remember something else. But what do we do when we can’t remember what we’ve forgotten? Where do our memories go when we develop Alzheimer’s disease? Do they go to a place so hidden away that they can’t be found? Or do they remain in the same place but the route to finding them is gone, СКАЧАТЬ