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.

Alzheimer Facilities

These are the nerve cells that are located in the person's brain.

Vitamin E is thought to help with cell rejuvenation. They progress from simple memory loss to total dependence upon a caregiver. Lipitor Alzheimers: The Next Wonder Drug? The chest x-ray is a common diagnostic tool used by doctors mainly to rule out other diseases that could cause similar symptoms to Alzheimers disease.

Overall, it is a sense of not being able to remember clearly.
Many scientists and pharmaceutical companies spend much of their time in Alzheimer research. Since that time, three other medications have been approved for use in slowing the decline of Alzheimers patients by improving cognitive functioning during the illness. About twenty years ago, Sparks came to realize something that nobody else had perceived and that was that excess levels of cholesterol in the brain could very well be linked to Alzheimers disease, and even the American Heart Association concurs that such is indeed the case and high cholesterol levels are risky as far as Alzheimers disease is concerned.

Because there is no known cure for alzheimers disease, more and more people are turning to other methods in trying to control the disease.
It is also difficult to deal with because it is a fatal disease. You can also find lots of moral support this way, as many people who dont have the time to go to meetings but can manage to check in during lunch breaks, in the morning or before going to bed. The early symptoms of this illness can surface a number of years before the disease progresses to the next phase of symptoms. It will be difficult even for yourself to gage this as the development can vary by as much as 2 decades. The first thing to stay away from is claims that just seem impossible or a big stretch.