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  Alzheimers disease

Alzheimers is a brain disorder that seriously affects a person’s ability to carry out daily activities, and is the most common form of dementia among older people. It initially involves the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language. No one knows what causes Alzheimers, and there is currently no cure.

Named after a German doctor, Dr. Alois Alzheimer, Alzheimers was found in 1906. The doctor noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of a mental illness. He found abnormal clumps and tangled bundles of fibers, which we now consider signs of Alzheimers.

Alzheimers disease
Alzheimers disease

There are other changes, in the brain of alzhiemers patients. Nerve cells die in parts of the brain that are vital to memory and other functions, and connections between nerve cells are broken. This disruption may lead to impaired thinking and memory problems.

The current thought is that up to 4.5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimers. Alzhiemers usually begins after age 60, though some younger people may very rarely have Alzheimers. The risk of developing Alzhiemers goes up with age. Around 5 percent of men and women ages 65 to 74 have Alzhiemers, and nearly half of those age 85 and older may have the disease, though Alzhiemers is not a normal part of aging by any means.

Alzheimers starts with mild memory problems and can end with severe brain damage. How fast the disease works and the course the disease takes varies from person to person. The average Alzhiemers patient lives from 8 to 10 years after they are diagnosed, though the disease can last for as many as 20 years.


The term "dementia" describes a group of symptoms caused by changes in brain function. Some symptoms may include asking the same questions repeatedly; becoming lost in familiar places; being unable to follow directions; getting disoriented about time, people, and places; and neglecting personal safety, hygiene, and nutrition. There is no set schedule or rate at which people with dementia develop symptoms.

Dementia is caused by many conditions, some that are reversible, and some that are permanent. Alzheimer’s disease and multi-infarct dementia are the two most common forms of dementia in older people. These types of dementia are irreversible, and cannot be cured.

High fever, dehydration, vitamin deficiency, poor nutrition, bad reactions to medicines, problems with thyroid gland, or a minor head injury are all reversible conditions with symptoms of dementia. These are serious conditions, and should be medically treated as soon as possible. Also, be very careful not to mistake common emotional problems like sadness, loneliness, worry, or boredom for dementia.

Multi-Infarct Dementia In patients with multi-infarct dementia, a series of small strokes or changes in the brain's blood supply may result in the death of brain tissue. Different symptoms and problems will occur based on the location in the brain where the small strokes occur. Symptoms of this kind of dementia may begin suddenly. Patients with multi-infarct dementia are likely to show signs of improvement or remain stable for long periods of time, then quickly develop new symptoms if more strokes occur. In a large number of cases, high blood pressure is the cause of multi-infarct dementia, which is why it is so important to control high blood pressure.

Mild Cognitive Impairment

Recently found, Mild Cognitive Impairment is different from Alzheimer’s and normal age related memory problems. Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment have ongoing memory problems but do not have other problems like confusion, attention problems, or difficulty with language.

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Aricept tablets


Also called Donepezil, Aricept is used to treat the symptoms of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Donepezil will not cure Alzheimer's disease, and it will not stop the disease from getting worse, but it can improve thinking ability in some patients. more...

Donepezil tablets


Donepezil is used to treat symptomatic mild to moderately severe Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia (associated with cerebrovascular disease). Alzheimer's disease is associated with low levels of a chemical called acetylcholine in your brain. The more...

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