Written by Fadia Tabib
Translated by Daisy Khalil
Alzheimer's, also known in medical literature as Alzheimer Disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death.
Most often, AD is diagnosed among people over 65 years old, although the less-prevalent early-onset Alzheimer's can occur much earlier. In 2006, 26.6 million people worldwide had AD.
Announcing 30 thousand cases of Alzheimer's in Lebanon raised huge concern and drew more attention to this illness. This also urged immediate action by public and private health agencies to combat the spread of this disease.
So, what is Alzheimer’s? What are its symptoms and how is it treated?
Studies show that this disease is the one mostly spread and known among memory loss cases, also called dementia, which affects the brain and damages the short-memory zone and the brain cells, one after the other.
Changing AD's course is impossible as it develops and expands from one zone to another, and leads eventually to gradual decay in the brain cells and thus damage in the ability to think straight and difficulty to remember recent events. It also affects behavior, mood, feelings, and the ability to carry out everyday activities.
Although Alzheimer's is an obsession for some people, scientific and medical records indicate that it is normal, with age, to forget some of the names or numbers that were once memorized by the person’s brain, and this is due to health factors, mainly to endocrine defects or lack of certain vitamins, and this could be confirmed through medical tests.
So, the human capabilities change with time and this is mere normal effect of growing old. Loss of memory could be the result of aging and not necessarily a symptom of Alzheimer's disease.
AD was first discovered by German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906, and was named after him. Being a recent disease, the causes of Alzheimer's are still not yet identified accurately, but according to continuous studies, AD is caused by the accumulation of beta-amyloid peptides triggering neuron degeneration.
This disease usually strikes at the age of 65 and affects 10 percent of people at this age; but after reaching the age of 80, the percentage significantly grows to 50. Studies showed that this disease could be detected 15 years earlier through brain scanners, and thus be treated.
Scientists are working hard to find a vaccine to combat this disease which is as chronic as diabetes, blood pressure and heart disease.
The patient could be given medication and provided with early follow-up in order to eases the complications which could lead to the entire loss of memory and to change in the course of the patient's life. AD is also known for causing difficulty in performing daily activity, speaking problems, and the loss of sense of place and time, along with the inability to think straight and make good judgment.
It also manifests in mood swings, behavior and personality alteration, down to becoming utterly indifferent and bored of work or social obligations.
Despite being a new disease, scientists have found that adopting a certain diet could help avoid the accumulation of beta-amyloid peptides. Vegetables and sea foods rich in Omega 3 top the list of good nutrition substances.
Prevention of diseases that weaken the arteries such as hypertension and diabetes also help preventing AD.
It is also essential to stray far from soporific drugs, not to surrender to brain dullness and constantly rely on memory.
Physical activity and regular exercise of any kind are also very important.
The Lebanese began to recognize Alzheimer's disease after the increasing cases which are almost 30 thousand.
In 2004, the Assembly of Alzheimer's in Lebanon was founded by Mrs. Diane Mansour who is trying to launch it throughout the Arab world.
The Assembly's vision for the future is based on two key points: reaching more families in order to provide a better quality of life for patients and caregivers, and helping to create an infrastructure of support and professional care by ensuring better knowledge about the disease.
The services of the Assembly include providing information and direct support through meetings between support groups, caregivers and personal counseling bodies, and via a hotline for assistance and awareness campaigns.
The Assembly's main goals are promoting awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and ways to deal with it, respecting the rights of people suffering AD, recognizing the important role played by the families of patients in mitigating the effects of the disease and providing the best health and social care services for the patient to feel supported. It is said that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," but in the case of Alzheimer's, to what extent could prevention reduce the risk of suffering this disease?
Translated by Daisy Khalil
Alzheimer's, also known in medical literature as Alzheimer Disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death.
Most often, AD is diagnosed among people over 65 years old, although the less-prevalent early-onset Alzheimer's can occur much earlier. In 2006, 26.6 million people worldwide had AD.
Announcing 30 thousand cases of Alzheimer's in Lebanon raised huge concern and drew more attention to this illness. This also urged immediate action by public and private health agencies to combat the spread of this disease.
So, what is Alzheimer’s? What are its symptoms and how is it treated?
Studies show that this disease is the one mostly spread and known among memory loss cases, also called dementia, which affects the brain and damages the short-memory zone and the brain cells, one after the other.
Changing AD's course is impossible as it develops and expands from one zone to another, and leads eventually to gradual decay in the brain cells and thus damage in the ability to think straight and difficulty to remember recent events. It also affects behavior, mood, feelings, and the ability to carry out everyday activities.
Although Alzheimer's is an obsession for some people, scientific and medical records indicate that it is normal, with age, to forget some of the names or numbers that were once memorized by the person’s brain, and this is due to health factors, mainly to endocrine defects or lack of certain vitamins, and this could be confirmed through medical tests.
So, the human capabilities change with time and this is mere normal effect of growing old. Loss of memory could be the result of aging and not necessarily a symptom of Alzheimer's disease.
AD was first discovered by German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906, and was named after him. Being a recent disease, the causes of Alzheimer's are still not yet identified accurately, but according to continuous studies, AD is caused by the accumulation of beta-amyloid peptides triggering neuron degeneration.
This disease usually strikes at the age of 65 and affects 10 percent of people at this age; but after reaching the age of 80, the percentage significantly grows to 50. Studies showed that this disease could be detected 15 years earlier through brain scanners, and thus be treated.
Scientists are working hard to find a vaccine to combat this disease which is as chronic as diabetes, blood pressure and heart disease.
The patient could be given medication and provided with early follow-up in order to eases the complications which could lead to the entire loss of memory and to change in the course of the patient's life. AD is also known for causing difficulty in performing daily activity, speaking problems, and the loss of sense of place and time, along with the inability to think straight and make good judgment.
It also manifests in mood swings, behavior and personality alteration, down to becoming utterly indifferent and bored of work or social obligations.
Despite being a new disease, scientists have found that adopting a certain diet could help avoid the accumulation of beta-amyloid peptides. Vegetables and sea foods rich in Omega 3 top the list of good nutrition substances.
Prevention of diseases that weaken the arteries such as hypertension and diabetes also help preventing AD.
It is also essential to stray far from soporific drugs, not to surrender to brain dullness and constantly rely on memory.
Physical activity and regular exercise of any kind are also very important.
The Lebanese began to recognize Alzheimer's disease after the increasing cases which are almost 30 thousand.
In 2004, the Assembly of Alzheimer's in Lebanon was founded by Mrs. Diane Mansour who is trying to launch it throughout the Arab world.
The Assembly's vision for the future is based on two key points: reaching more families in order to provide a better quality of life for patients and caregivers, and helping to create an infrastructure of support and professional care by ensuring better knowledge about the disease.
The services of the Assembly include providing information and direct support through meetings between support groups, caregivers and personal counseling bodies, and via a hotline for assistance and awareness campaigns.
The Assembly's main goals are promoting awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and ways to deal with it, respecting the rights of people suffering AD, recognizing the important role played by the families of patients in mitigating the effects of the disease and providing the best health and social care services for the patient to feel supported. It is said that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," but in the case of Alzheimer's, to what extent could prevention reduce the risk of suffering this disease?
==========
