Alzheimer’s Disease

What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

All of us forget things at times. Sometimes we forget where we put our keys. On a busy day we might forget to keep an appointment. We may not be able to recall the name of an acquaintance we bump into after many years.

In a person with Alzheimer’s Disease simple forgetfulness becomes more and more noticeable, interfering with a person’s daily activities. Normal activities such as dressing, hygiene or going to a marketplace become difficult. Progressively, the person becomes dependent on others to carry out the simplest tasks.

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) attacks the parts of the brain that control thought, memory and language. This dementing illness is often noticeable after the age of 60.Certain chemical reactions occurring in the brain cause the shrinking of the brain cells. This eventually leads to the cluttering of the entangled cells. The brain goes on shrinking and so does the memory.

The onset of the disease is gradual and the person’s decline is usually slow.

History

Alzheimer’s Disease is named after Dr.Alois Alzheimer who in 1906 described changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of what was thought to be an unusual mental illness. These changes are now recognized as the characteristic abnormal brain changes of Alzheimer’s Disease.