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WikiProject Medicine/Translation task force AD/RTT/Simple

Alzheimer's disease (AD), also known as Alzheimer disease, or just Alzheimer's, accounts for 60% to 70% of cases of dementia.[1][2] It is a chronic disease that usually starts slowly and gets worse over time.[1][2] The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events (short-term memory loss).[1] As the disease advances, symptoms can include: problems with language, disorientation (including easily getting lost), mood swings, loss of motivation, not managing self care, and behavioural issues.[2][1] As a person's condition declines, she or he often withdraws from family and society.[1] Gradually, bodily functions are lost, ultimately leading to death.[3] Although the speed of progression can vary, the average life expectancy following diagnosis is three to nine years.[4][5]

The cause of Alzheimer's disease is poorly understood.[1] About 70% of the risk is believed to be genetic with many genes usually involved.[6] Other risk factors include: a history of head injuries, depression or hypertension.[1] The disease process is associated with plaques and tangles in the brain.[6] A probable diagnosis is based on the history of the illness and cognitive testing with medical imaging and blood tests to rule out other possible causes.[7] Initial symptoms are often mistaken for normal ageing.[1] Examination of brain tissue is needed for a definite diagnosis.[6] Mental and physical exercise, and avoiding obesity may decrease the risk of AD.[6] There are no medications or supplements with evidence to support their use.[8] It is classified as a neurodegenerative disorder.[1]

No treatments stop or reverse its progression, though some may temporarily improve symptoms.[2] Affected people increasingly rely on others for assistance, often placing a burden on the caregiver; the pressures can include social, psychological, physical, and economic elements.[9] Exercise programs are beneficial with respect to activities of daily living and potentially improve outcomes.[10] Treatment of behavioral problems or psychosis due to dementia with antipsychotics is common but not usually recommended due to there often being little benefit and an increased risk of early death.[11][12]

In 2010, there were between 21 and 35 million people worldwide with AD.[4][2] It most often begins in people over 65 years of age, although 4% to 5% of cases are early-onset Alzheimer's which begin before this.[13] It affects about 6% of people 65 years and older.[1] In 2010, dementia resulted in about 486,000 deaths.[14] It was first described by, and later named after, German psychiatrist and pathologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906.[15] In developed countries, AD is one of the most financially costly diseases.[16][17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Burns, A; Iliffe, S (5 February 2009). "Alzheimer's disease". BMJ (Clinical research ed.). 338: b158. doi:10.1136/bmj.b158. PMID 19196745.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Dementia Fact sheet N°362". who.int. April 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  3. ^ "About Alzheimer's Disease: Symptoms". National Institute on Aging. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
  4. ^ a b Querfurth, HW; LaFerla, FM (28 January 2010). "Alzheimer's disease". The New England Journal of Medicine. 362 (4): 329–44. doi:10.1056/NEJMra0909142. PMID 20107219.
  5. ^ Todd, S; Barr, S; Roberts, M; Passmore, AP (November 2013). "Survival in dementia and predictors of mortality: a review". International journal of geriatric psychiatry. 28 (11): 1109–24. doi:10.1002/gps.3946. PMID 23526458.
  6. ^ a b c d Ballard, C; Gauthier, S; Corbett, A; Brayne, C; Aarsland, D; Jones, E (19 March 2011). "Alzheimer's disease". Lancet. 377 (9770): 1019–31. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61349-9. PMID 21371747.
  7. ^ "Dementia diagnosis and assessment" (PDF). pathways.nice.org.uk. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  8. ^ "More research needed on ways to prevent Alzheimer's, panel finds" (PDF). National Institute on Aging. 29 August 2006. Retrieved 29 February 2008.
  9. ^ Thompson CA, Spilsbury K, Hall J, Birks Y, Barnes C, Adamson J. Systematic Review of Information and Support Interventions for Caregivers of People with Dementia. BMC Geriatrics. 2007;7:18. doi:10.1186/1471-2318-7-18. PMID 17662119.
  10. ^ Forbes, D.; Thiessen, E.J.; Blake, C.M.; Forbes, S.C.; Forbes, S. (4 December 2013). "Exercise programs for people with dementia". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 12: CD006489. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006489.pub3. PMID 24302466.
  11. ^ National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. "Low-dose antipsychotics in people with dementia". nice.org.uk. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  12. ^ "Information for Healthcare Professionals: Conventional Antipsychotics". fda.gov. 2008-06-16. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  13. ^ Mendez, MF (November 2012). "Early-onset Alzheimer's disease: nonamnestic subtypes and type 2 AD". Archives of medical research. 43 (8): 677–85. doi:10.1016/j.arcmed.2012.11.009. PMID 23178565.
  14. ^ Lozano, R; Naghavi, M; Foreman, K (15 December 2012). "Global and regional mortality from 235 causes of death for 20 age groups in 1990 and 2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010". Lancet. 380 (9859): 2095–128. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61728-0. PMID 23245604.
  15. ^ Berchtold NC, Cotman CW. Evolution in the Conceptualization of Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease: Greco-Roman Period to the 1960s. Neurobiology of Aging. 1998;19(3):173–89. doi:10.1016/S0197-4580(98)00052-9. PMID 9661992.
  16. ^ Bonin-Guillaume S, Zekry D, Giacobini E, Gold G, Michel JP. Impact économique de la démence (English: The Economical Impact of Dementia). Presse Médicale. 2005;34(1):35–41. French. PMID 15685097.
  17. ^ Meek PD, McKeithan K, Schumock GT. Economic Considerations in Alzheimer's Disease. Pharmacotherapy. 1998;18(2 Pt 2):68–73; discussion 79–82. PMID 9543467.
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