11-29-05

Alzheimer's Disease

About 4 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. And that number is expected to increase to 11 million by year 2050.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain that results in impaired memory and thinking. Ann Popovich, a gerontology specialist at the Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, explains how the disease affects individuals.

SOUND BITE: "It affects people in their memory loss, their personality, and their ability to perform routine tasks. They can become disoriented, have difficulties in language skills, and overall impairment in judgment and reasoning."

Popovich says the biggest risk factors for Alzheimer's disease are age and family history. Most of the people who are diagnosed with the disease are over age 65, but it can occur in younger people. Although there is no cure, some medications can slow the progression of the disease. Popovich describes some of the treatments.

SOUND BITE: "There are four medications on the market currently for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Three of them -- Aricept, Exelon and Razadyne -- are all approved for mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. The newest drug is called Namenda and it’s been on the market for about for about a year and a half now and it is for more severe Alzheimer's disease."

If someone you know is suffering from serious memory problems and needs help, contact your family physician or call the Alzheimer’s Center at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield at 1-800-342-5748. That’s 1-800-342-5748.