What is the Prognosis for Alzheimers Disease?


Unfortunately, even with modern day medicine, the prognosis for Alzheimers disease is that it is an incurable, degenerative disease. However, according to recent studies there are variations in the prognosis of different patients. In fact, a patients symptoms are indicative of their prognosis.

Symptoms that May Indicate a Shorter Survival

There are certain symptoms that may indicate a person will have a shorter lifespan than other Alzheimers disease patients. Some of these indictors include: unsteadiness when walking; incontinence of urine; poor test scores on mental acuity tests; rapid decline during the first year they are diagnosed; wandering behaviors; and preexisting conditions such as heart disease or diabetes. Women also have a longer survival rate than men do when it comes to Alzheimers disease prognosis.

Treatments and Their Effects on Alzheimers Disease Prognosis

There are treatments for Alzheimers disease that may help those affected to retain their mental acuity longer. These treatments are generally seen as more effective when they are started at the earliest stages of the disease. Some treatments are relatively simple such as increasing the amount of time you walk per day. Other treatments may come in the form of medications. Whether or not a person is given certain medications or other treatments is dependent on their Alzheimers disease prognosis and its current stage. Treatment may also vary depending on the patient and their familys wishes.

There are several different medicines that can be used to combat Alzheimers disease. Two of these are Aricept and Namenda. Although these medications may not improve a persons long-term Alzheimers disease prognosis, they can improve the amount of time the person is able to stay reasonably mentally acute.

Aricept Aricept is one type of a cholinesterase inhibitor that is used in the treatment of Alzheimers disease. It is also the most common. This type of drug is used to stop the breakdown of cetylcholine. This is a chemical in the brain that is used for mental functions and plays a role in memory functions. Although this drug does not cure Alzheimers, it may help to improve mental acuity and function in some patients. This medication is used in all levels of Alzheimers disease including mild, moderate, and severe.

Namenda Namenda is a drug that works differently than other Alzheimer medications. It works to regulate a chemical called glutamate in the brain. This chemical regulates what other chemicals and minerals are allowed to enter brain cells. In a person with Alzheimers disease, their brains produce too much glutamate. By regulating this chemical, a person may have increased ability to process information and regulate memories.

Brain Donation Program

Some treatments are relatively simple such as increasing the amount of time you walk per day.

In late onset Alzheimers, which occurs after the age of 65, other factors that increase the risk besides genetics include education, diet and environment. In 1993, researchers found a medication that will help to slow the early stages of Alzheimers, called Cognex. A patients history can be a very important indicator of whether or not they may be predisposed to Alzheimers disease or other forms of dementia.

All of these medications come with their own benefits, as well as their own side effects, and some of the side effects can be rather severe with some people.
Early-onset Alzheimers disease is somewhat different than most types of Alzheimers. There are several different medicines that can be used to combat Alzheimers disease. These drugs work on the early symptoms of Alzheimers by improving the effectiveness of a chemical called acetylcholine. On the contrary, it involves many different types of tests and procedures to diagnose properly. Tests are designed to show the level of cognitive ability as well as speech and the ability to perform certain tasks.

Websites that offer in depth information about the disease usually have a Q&A type of atmosphere.
These involve becoming suspicious of everyone. Before President Reagan died of Alzheimers disease he wrote a letter for the American people informing them about his condition. Also, be aware of the pricing because things purchased online will have a shipping cost associated with the purchase, so keep this in mind when comparison shopping for prices. FAD is characterized by a very early-onset and an extremely high number of family members being affected by it. This tenth International Conference On Alzheimers Disease which was held in Madrid, Spain in July 2006 was the biggest forum focusing its attention on dementia research. This is why Alzheimers symptoms oftentimes show up gradually.