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The impact of Alzheimer’s disease

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Ron Petersen, MD, PhD, is Director of the Mayo Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.

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What is age-related memory loss?

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Typical changes

Typical age-related changes involve:

• Making a bad decision once in a while

• Missing an occasional monthly payment

• Forgetting which day it is and remembering later

• Sometimes forgetting which word to use

• Losing things from time to time

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Problematic changes

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Joyce has a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

Problematic changes

1. Memory changes that disrupt daily life

2. Challenges in planning or solving problems

3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks

4. Confusion with time or place

5. Trouble with visual images and spatial relationships

6. New problems with words in speaking or writing

7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps

8. Decreased or poor judgment

9. Withdrawal from work or social activities

10. Changes in mood and personality

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3

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What is dementia?

Understanding dementia

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Dementia

Reversible

dementias

Vascular dementia

Alzheimer's disease

Lewy body disease

Frontotemporal

dementia

Problematic changes

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Steve has a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia.

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What is dementia?

Loss of cognitive functioning serious enough to interfere with daily functioning

Causes changes in: • Memory

• Language

• Thought

• Navigation

• Behavior

• Personality/Mood

• Planning and Organizing

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Reversible causes of dementia

Depression, delirium

Emotional disorders

Metabolic disorders (e.g., hypothyroidism)

Eye and ear impairments

Nutritional (e.g., B12 deficiency)

Tumors

Infections

Alcohol, drugs, medication interactions

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Irreversible types of dementia

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Alzheimer's disease: the

most common type

Over 70% of people with

dementia have Alzheimer’s

disease

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Mild Cognitive Impairment

Severe enough to show up

on tests

Not severe enough to affect

daily life

Increases risk of

developing Alzheimer’s

disease

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Vascular dementia

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Second most common form

of dementia

Caused by damage as result

of reduced blood flow from

one or more strokes

Mixed dementia

Alzheimer’s disease and

another type of dementia

can exist at the same time

This may account for nearly

half of the causes where

Alzheimer’s is present

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Dementia with Lewy bodies

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Wide variations in attention

and alertness

May include:

Hallucinations

Tremors

Rigidity

Frontotemporal dementia

Sometimes called “Pick’s disease”

Begins at a younger age

Progresses more quickly than Alzheimer’s

disease

First symptoms are usually personality changes

and disorientation

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More rare types of dementia

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Other more rare dementias

include:

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Parkinson’s disease

Huntington’s disease

Normal pressure

hydrocephalus

Wernicke-Korsaoff

syndrome

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Alzheimer’s disease

Lots of misconceptions

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Laura’s husband, Jay, has a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

What is Alzheimer’s disease?

Alzheimer’s disease:

is a brain disorder

is a progressive disease

is the most common form of dementia

has no cure

is eventually fatal

has been diagnosed in over 5 million Americans

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How the brain works

There are 100 billion nerve

cells, or neurons, creating a

branching network.

Signals traveling through

the neuron forest form

memories, thoughts and

feelings

Alzheimer’s disease

destroys neurons

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Neurons affected by Alzheimer’s disease

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dead cells

full of tangles

amyloid plaques

sparse, damaged cells

withered branches

Which functions are affected?

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Language, Sense

of temperature,

touch, pain

Vision Judgment,

reasoning

Memory, language, hearing

Movement, balance

Basic

functions,

including

breathing

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Healthy vs. Alzheimer’s brain

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Ventricles enlarge

Cortex shrivels, especially

near hippocampus

Brain functioning affects memory

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Kitty’s husband, Bill, has a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

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Who is at risk?

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Major risk factors

The primary risk factor is

age

The incidence is higher in

women due to women living

longer

Down syndrome is

correlated with Alzheimer’s

Family history can increase

risk

There are two categories of

genes

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Frequently asked questions

If I have had a head injury, am I at greater risk for Alzheimer’s disease?

Does my diabetes and my high blood pressure put me at higher risk?

Can doing crossword puzzles reduce my risk?

Could broccoli or other foods be prevention tools?

Will memory screening tools help me avoid a visit to the doctor?

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Getting a thorough diagnosis

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Selecting a Doctor

Doctors can diagnosis

Alzheimer’s disease with

accuracy

Choose from:

Regular primary care

physician

Geriatrician

Neurologist

Psychiatrist

Neuropsychologist

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Preparing for the doctor’s visit

Keep a log

• Write a list of symptoms, be specific

• Include when, how often and where

• Develop the list with input from other family members

List current and previous health problems

Bring all medication (prescriptions, vitamins,

herbal supplements and over the counter

medication)

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The doctor’s visit

Medical and family history

Physical and neurological

exam

Lab tests

Mental status exam

May include brain imaging

(MRI, CT scan)

May include neuropsych

tests

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When the diagnosis is Alzheimer’s disease…

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Emotions run high

shock

confusion guilt

worry

acceptance

relief denial

anger

grief

fear

Stages of Alzheimer’s disease

Early Stage

• Recent memory loss

• Difficulty managing money,

driving, or handling social

situations

Middle Stage

• Difficulty with language

• Problems keeping track of

personal items

• May need help with grooming

Late Stage

• Long- and short-term memory

affected

• Needs care around the clock

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Plan early

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Monica Parker, MD, is a Geriatric Medicine specialist at Emory University.

Plan early

Be an active partner in long-term care plan

Develop a relationship with your healthcare

team

Get legal and financial issues in order

Grow a support system

Educate yourself about the disease

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Medications to treat symptoms

Cholinesterase inhibitors for mild to moderate

symptoms

Donepezil (Aricept®)

Rivastigmine (Exelon®)

Galantamine (Razadyne®)

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Medications to treat symptoms

NMDA receptor antagonist (glutamate regulator)

for moderate to severe symptoms

Memantine (Namenda®)

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Medications to treat symptoms

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Ron Petersen, MD, is Director of the Mayo Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

Clinical research studies

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Clinical trials fuel progress

toward treatments

Participants receive a high

standard of care

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Alzheimer’s Association resources to help

Programs and services

Educational programs for

families and professionals

24-hour helpline

Information and referrals

Care consultations

Support groups

Online Community

Safety services

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Make a difference!

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Alzheimer’s advocacy

Generate action

Stay on top of policy and

legislative issues

Help elevate Alzheimer’s

from a disease to a cause

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Build Your Community

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Betsy’s husband, John, has a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

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To learn more …

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Contact us!

49

When Alzheimer’s disease

touches your life turn to us

Nationwide 24-hour Helpline

Whether you need

information or just want

to talk, call us at

1.800.272.3900

www.alz.org

Our award-winning Web

site is a rich resource of

evidence-based content

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licensed representatives of the Association for presentations of “Memory Loss, Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease: The Basics”. It may

not be reproduced or used for any other purpose without the prior written consent of Alzheimer's Association. © 2010 Alzheimer's

Association. All rights reserved.