MEDizzy
MEDizzy
Tara
Taraalmost 2 years ago
Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurologic disorder that causes the brain to shrink (atrophy) and brain cells to die. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia — a continuous decline in thinking, behavioral and social skills that affects a person's ability to function independently. Thought to be caused by the abnormal build-up of proteins in and around brain cells. One of the proteins involved is called amyloid, deposits of which form plaques around brain cells. The other protein is called tau, deposits of which form tangles within brain cells. It typically progresses slowly in three general stages: early, middle and late (sometimes referred to as mild, moderate and severe in a medical context). Symptoms may include: Increased memory loss and confusion. Inability to learn new things. Difficulty with language and problems with reading, writing, and working with numbers. Difficulty organizing thoughts and thinking logically. Shortened attention span. Problems coping with new situations. There is no cure, and the aim of the Treatments is only for slowing down or delaying the symptoms, or for improving the cognition and behaviour. The treatments are: cholinesterase inhibitors (ex: Donepezil, Galantamine..etc) or NMDA receptor inhibitor (ex: Memantine), or Aducanumab which is the only disease-modifying medication currently approved to treat Alzheimer's. This medication is a human antibody, or immunotherapy, that targets the protein beta-amyloid and helps to reduce amyloid plaques, which are brain lesions associated with Alzheimer's.

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