What is Alzheimer's Disease?

Alzheimer's disease is a condition that affects a large number of adults over the age of 50.  The most common symptom of Alzheimer's is memory loss, but early symptoms may also include personality change, depression, or other problems with mental abilities.  It is a progressive disorder, beginning with mild problems and continuing to more severe problems.  For some people, this happens quickly, although even quick progression takes several years.  For others, the disease may only cause mild memory impairments that progresses very slowly.

How do you know if someone has Alzheimer's?

Suspicion that someone has Alzheimer's disease often arises when he or she starts having trouble remembering important dates or people.  Although mild memory problems are common in people as they get older, more severe problems should lead to an evaluation by a physician who is familiar Alzheimer's.  Many primary care physicians, psychiatrists, and neurologists can be helpful in evaluating whether someone has Alzheimer's.  The evaluation will usually include blood tests and tests of memory and other abilities.  It may also include a computerized tomography (CT)  or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the head.  It is very important to make sure that some other medical problem isn't causing someone's memory problems, since many of these medical problems (such as abnormal thyroid gland functioning) can be treated. 

What causes Alzheimer's disease?

No one know for sure what causes Alzheimer's.  Some forms of Alzheimer's seem to run in families, but only a small number of people are affected by this type.  Several genetic markers have been identified, including ApoE4 (see note at the side).  If people have certain types of ApoE4, they may be more likely to develop Alzheimer's.  Women seem to be somewhat more likely to develop Alzheimer's than are men.  People who have had more active lives are somewhat less likely to develop the disease, as are people who have been treated with certain medications.  At this time, no test can predict who will or will not develop Alzheimer's.

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