In the 1960's, autopsies of adults with DS showed that after about age 30 years, they all have the characteristic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles associated with Alzheimer disease. From that finding, it was assumed that all adults with DS would eventually get Alzheimer dementia if they lived long enough.

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, neurological disorder characterized by a decline in cognitive function that results in dementia (impaired memory, thinking, and reasoning). Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of memory loss (dementia), affecting approximately 4 million people in the United States. Unless a cure is found the number of persons affected in the US alone could reach 14 million by the year 2050.

Dementia is a broad term referring to loss of cognitive abilities. There are many ways to develop dementia, including Alzheimer Disease, Parkinson Disease, head injury, brain tumour, late-stage AIDS, alcoholism, and strokes. Alzheimer Disease is the most common form of dementia and accounts for more than 50% of all cases.

It is an interesting and surprising finding that every person with Down syndrome develops by age 40 the brain pathological changes of people with Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, most people with Down syndrome in old age - i.e., beyond age 60 - show further cognitive decline. This is a devastating aspect of Down syndrome and one that is quite disconcerting for those that care for elderly individuals with Down syndrome.

There are in the region of 500 confirmed cases each year in the UK. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) acknowledges that confirmed cases do not necessarily reflect all the cases of the disease. HPA official estimates suggest there could be up to 2,000 new cases occurring in the UK every year. Since full recovery may not take place in many cases, the total number of people affected is accumulating.

Yes. Helena House meets the state requirements for accommodating residents with dementia. Our staff receives specialized training for residents with these special needs.

Advanced Alzheimer's disease can lead to the impairment of the patients' immunological system, and this can predispose them to concurrent infections such as urinary tract infections and pulmonary infections (such as pneumonia). Coupled with the fact that as the disease progresses, the patient becomes more immobile, most dementia patients ultimately succumb to the conditions associated with immobility.

Women with DS are fertile. Men with DS have traditionally been considered sterile; however, there have been two documented cases of adult men with DS fathering children.

In its mild or early stage, Alzheimer's disease (AD) may be overlooked both by individuals developing AD and by those around them. Lack of awareness may be an early AD symptom, although some are keenly aware of diminished memory and thinking abilities. Family and friends may ignore early symptoms hoping they will not progress or because they think nothing can be done to treat AD.

Middle stage or moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves a worsening of the symptoms of early AD, the appearance of new symptoms or both. Obvious impairment of comprehension and judgment often emerge. Dangerous behaviors (e.g., auto accidents if the person is still driving, physical aggressiveness, forgetting to turn off appliances or take medications) make it clear that something is seriously wrong.

The late stage or severe Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves further progression of the signs and symptoms of early and middle stage AD. It is important to search for correctable conditions, especially when a change is sudden. As severity increases, the person with AD can no longer provide self-care, often requiring help with personal activities of daily living such as dressing, eating and going to the bathroom. Memory is very poor or gone altogether.

The choice of a specific medication is something for you and your clinician to decide, based on a number of factors. In general, FDA-approved cholinesterase inhibitors are tried first, and more than one of them may be tried before moving to other classes of medications. How much you benefit and how well you tolerate a medication are important in deciding whether to continue that medication or switch to another medication.

Cholinesterase inhibitors slow the breakdown of acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter involved in thinking and memory. Alzheimer's disease causes several brain abnormalities. One of them is a progressive decrease in the acetylcholine neurotransmitter (brain messenger) system functioning. It's as though an engine — in this case the brain - is being starved of fuel and not firing all cylinders. Cholinesterase inhibitors increase acetylcholine and permit more neurotransmission.

Keeping a current week's supply in a plastic container divided into daily compartments can help you remember to take your medication on schedule. The rest should be stored in the original prescription containers, away from sources of heat or moisture and out of contact with direct sunlight. Do not store Alzheimer's disease medication in the bathroom medicine cabinet where heat and moisture may cause it to break down.

If cholinesterase inhibitors have a beneficial effect, they should usually be continued long-term. Unfortunately, when effective cholinesterase inhibitors have been discontinued, the underlying Alzheimer's disease appears to have been smoldering along under the cover of the effective medication. Without that effective medication, rapid deterioration often occurs. Benefits of continued cholinesterase inhibitor treatment have been observed for as long as several years in some patients.

There are a few very rare cases where Alzheimer's disease does run in families. In these cases there is a direct link between an inherited mutation in one gene and the onset of the disease. These tend to be cases of 'early onset' Alzheimer's disease, which affects those under the age of 65. In these cases, the probability that close family members (brothers, sisters and children) will develop Alzheimer's disease is one in two.

Although there are no drugs that can cure Alzheimer's disease, there are a number of drug treatments that can help some people with Alzheimer's disease. The currently available treatments can slow down the progression of the disease in some cases for periods between 6 and 18 months. The main class of such compounds is the cholinesterase inhibitors. Other kinds of drugs are sometimes useful for controlling some of the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, such as sleeplessness and agitation.

Not enough is known about the causes of Alzheimer's disease for any specific preventative measures to be recommended. Although Alzheimer's disease is more common with increasing age, the trigger for the characteristic changes that occur in the brain tissue of people with Alzheimer's disease is not known. Even though these brain changes are associated with ageing, these are not a normal part of the ageing process.

Yes, though less frequently. The disease can occur in people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. However, most people diagnosed with Alzheimer's are older than 65. The early onset form of the disease that strikes younger people accounts for less than 10 percent of all reported cases. Scientists believe this variation of the disease may be genetically transmitted across multiple generations of the same family.