ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
Alzheimer's Disease affects an estimated 4.5 million Americans. It starts out with mild
memory loss and confusion. It is an incurable and leads to destroy of the brain
leaving patients helpless and death. Former US President Ronald Reagan died with
Alzheimer's, was diagnosed 10 years ago.
INTRODUCTION
Alzheimer's disease was first described by Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German physician
in 1906. It is a disorder that causes the gradual loss of brain cells, leading to
dementia. Dementia is collection term for several symptoms related to a decline in
thinking skills, including a gradual loss of memory, problems with reasoning or
judgment, disorientation, difficulty in learning and loss of language skills. Alzheimer's
disease advances at different rates for different people. The duration of the illness
may vary from a few years to 20 years. The areas of the brain that control memory
and thinking skills are affected first. Then, cells die in other regions of the brain.
Eventually, the patient will need complete care. If the individual has no other serious
illness, the loss of brain function itself will cause death.
RISK FACTORS AND MEDICAL TREATMENT
Three new genes, known as clusterin, complement receptor 1 (CR1) and PICALM,
were uncovered by two separate research groups, one in Wales and one in France,
who linked the genes to Alzheiemer's Disease. Dr. Julie Williams, Cardiff University,
collected 16,000 DNA samples from Alzheimer's patients and healthy controls, while
the French team, led by Dr. Philippe Amouyel at the Pasteur Institute, gathered more
than 7,000 similar samples. They both worked independently, unaware of the other
lab's research, until both happened to present their data at the International
Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Vienna in July of 2009. Dr. Williams, who was
in the audience when Dr. Amouyel gave his talk, immediately checked her database
on her laptop and found to her delight that her group had identified the same high-
risk genes as Dr. Amouyel's. The two groups used different criteria to pinpoint their
highest priority genes, leading to the slightly different rankings. [A1] Another gene,
apolipoprotein E (ApoE), was identified in 1993.
One of the new variants is in a gene active at synapses, the junctions between brain
cells, and the two others help damp down inflammation in the brain. Inflammation is a
known feature of Alzheimer’s. The detection of the new variants, which undercut the
brain’s efforts to restrain inflammation, suggested inflammation might play a primary
role. [A2]
In fact, most healthy people have some version of the three new genes. But their
presence alone does not necessarily translate to an elevated risk of Alzheimer's.
Each of the genes comes in different forms, or variants, that confer different levels of
risk. [1]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risk Factors for Alzheimer's disease
Risk Factors for Alzheimer's disease include age, family history, high blood pressure
and high cholesterol. Big Blood pressure drop may also lead to Alzheimer's [1]. The
disease is highly related to amyloid plaques. Medical Treatment includes
cholinesterase inhibitors, Vitamin E, antidepressant, anxiolytics and antipsychotics.
Alternative treatments include ginkgo biloba/ginseng combo [research findings],
niacin [2] huperzine A and acetyl-L carnitine
Reference
[1] Ed Edelson, HealthDay, Jul 1, 2004.A
[2] Anthony J. Brown, MD, Niacin may protect against Alzheimer's, Reuters, Jul 15,
2004 This article can not be replaced for medical advice. If you have question, you
should consult with your doctor immediately.
[A1] ALICE PARK After Years of Search, Breakthrough Discoveries of Alzheimer's
Genes TIME, Sun Sep 6, 1:40 pm ET
[A2] NICHOLAS WADE Scientists Connect Gene Variations to Alzheimer’s The New
York Times September 6, 2009
Alzheimer's Disease affects an estimated 4.5 million Americans. It starts out with mild
memory loss and confusion. It is an incurable and leads to destroy of the brain
leaving patients helpless and death. Former US President Ronald Reagan died with
Alzheimer's, was diagnosed 10 years ago.
INTRODUCTION
Alzheimer's disease was first described by Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German physician
in 1906. It is a disorder that causes the gradual loss of brain cells, leading to
dementia. Dementia is collection term for several symptoms related to a decline in
thinking skills, including a gradual loss of memory, problems with reasoning or
judgment, disorientation, difficulty in learning and loss of language skills. Alzheimer's
disease advances at different rates for different people. The duration of the illness
may vary from a few years to 20 years. The areas of the brain that control memory
and thinking skills are affected first. Then, cells die in other regions of the brain.
Eventually, the patient will need complete care. If the individual has no other serious
illness, the loss of brain function itself will cause death.
RISK FACTORS AND MEDICAL TREATMENT
Three new genes, known as clusterin, complement receptor 1 (CR1) and PICALM,
were uncovered by two separate research groups, one in Wales and one in France,
who linked the genes to Alzheiemer's Disease. Dr. Julie Williams, Cardiff University,
collected 16,000 DNA samples from Alzheimer's patients and healthy controls, while
the French team, led by Dr. Philippe Amouyel at the Pasteur Institute, gathered more
than 7,000 similar samples. They both worked independently, unaware of the other
lab's research, until both happened to present their data at the International
Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Vienna in July of 2009. Dr. Williams, who was
in the audience when Dr. Amouyel gave his talk, immediately checked her database
on her laptop and found to her delight that her group had identified the same high-
risk genes as Dr. Amouyel's. The two groups used different criteria to pinpoint their
highest priority genes, leading to the slightly different rankings. [A1] Another gene,
apolipoprotein E (ApoE), was identified in 1993.
One of the new variants is in a gene active at synapses, the junctions between brain
cells, and the two others help damp down inflammation in the brain. Inflammation is a
known feature of Alzheimer’s. The detection of the new variants, which undercut the
brain’s efforts to restrain inflammation, suggested inflammation might play a primary
role. [A2]
In fact, most healthy people have some version of the three new genes. But their
presence alone does not necessarily translate to an elevated risk of Alzheimer's.
Each of the genes comes in different forms, or variants, that confer different levels of
risk. [1]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risk Factors for Alzheimer's disease
Risk Factors for Alzheimer's disease include age, family history, high blood pressure
and high cholesterol. Big Blood pressure drop may also lead to Alzheimer's [1]. The
disease is highly related to amyloid plaques. Medical Treatment includes
cholinesterase inhibitors, Vitamin E, antidepressant, anxiolytics and antipsychotics.
Alternative treatments include ginkgo biloba/ginseng combo [research findings],
niacin [2] huperzine A and acetyl-L carnitine
Reference
[1] Ed Edelson, HealthDay, Jul 1, 2004.A
[2] Anthony J. Brown, MD, Niacin may protect against Alzheimer's, Reuters, Jul 15,
2004 This article can not be replaced for medical advice. If you have question, you
should consult with your doctor immediately.
[A1] ALICE PARK After Years of Search, Breakthrough Discoveries of Alzheimer's
Genes TIME, Sun Sep 6, 1:40 pm ET
[A2] NICHOLAS WADE Scientists Connect Gene Variations to Alzheimer’s The New
York Times September 6, 2009
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