Auguste Deter was only in her late 40s when she started showing signs of dementia. Her husband Karl, cared for her for some time.
Eventually, he could not cope with her hallucinations and forgetfulness that often kept him up all night. When Auguste was 51, Karl placed his wife into a psychiatric institute.
There, she spent the rest of her short life, eventually dying at the age of 55.
Auguste is now acknowledged to be one of the most well known patients in medical history (Muller et al. 2012). The doctor who examined her, Dr. Aloysius Alzheimer, named the disease for which she is acknowledged as the first identified patient. At that time, he called it "presenile dementia," but later his colleague Emil Kraepelin gave the condition the name by which we know it now.
It's been over 100 years since Alzheimer's disease was first described, and yet, no cure has, as of yet, been found. However, with an increasingly aging population, it has become more pressing than ever to find effective treatments (Giacobini and Becker, 2007).
In the absence of a definitive cure, this post and podcast will provide important information about Alzheimer's. The disease can be all-consuming for those afflicted, as well as their caregivers. Understanding how it works and how to care for that person may help to relieve stress for those trying to cope.
Who Does Alzheimer's Affect?
Alzheimer's is a disease of old age, and generally, affects those over the age of 65. However, a rare variation of the disease, early-onset Alzheimer's, will affect those as young as 35. The prevalence is higher in females than males, although females do tend to live longer, which may explain this trend (Keene, Montine and Kuller 2015).
It's important to realize that although Alzheimer's affects older adults, it is not part of normal aging.
Right now, the overall prevalence of Alzheimer's is between five to seven percent throughout the population (Keene, Montine and Kuller 2015). As we age, the likelihood that we will be affected by Alzheimer's nearly doubles every decade. That is, by the ages of 95-99, your chances of having developed Alzheimer's increases by 50%.
What Causes Alzheimer's?
The cause of Alzheimer's is, as of yet, not completely understood (Ginter et al. 2015). We do know that genetics plays a role in early-onset Alzheimer's. This form of the disease is rare, and affects people under the age of 65. What genetics fails to fully explain is the prevalence of Alzheimer's in aging adults (Keene, Montine and Kuller 2015).
The links between risk factors and Alzheimer's have not fully been proven. However, in studies the following has show to possibly increase our risk of Alzheimer's:
If you have a family history of dementia and Alzheimer's, the chances of developing it yourself is much higher. People with a first-degree relative (parents or siblings) who developed dementia after 65, but before 85, have a higher risk factor. In fact, they are 10 to 30 times more likely to develop dementia themselves (Keene, Montine and Kuller 2015).
Alzheimer's and Memory
Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, which is a degeneration of cognitive function. One of the earliest and most distinctive aspects of Alzheimer's is its affect on memory.
The first warning signs a doctor and other
Published on 9 years, 10 months ago
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