What is Alzheimer's?

What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

According to the Center for Disease  Control, Alzheimer’s disease is a common cause of dementia causing as  many as 50 to 70% of all dementia cases. In fact, Alzheimer’s is a very  specific form of dementia. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s include impaired  thought, impaired speech, and confusion. Doctors use a variety of  screenings to determine the cause of dementia including blood tests,  mental status evaluations and brain scans.

How Are They Different?

When a person is diagnosed with dementia,  they are being diagnosed with a set of symptoms. This is similar to  someone who has a sore throat. Their throat is sore but it is not known  what is causing that particular symptom. It could be allergies, strep  throat, or a common cold. Similarly, when someone has dementia they are  experiencing symptoms without being told what is causing those symptoms.

Another major difference between the two  is that Alzheimer’s is not a reversible disease. It is degenerative and  incurable at this time. Some forms of dementia, such as a drug  interaction or a vitamin deficiency, are actually reversible or  temporary.

Once a cause of dementia is found  appropriate treatment and counseling can begin. Until a proper diagnosis  is made, the best approach to any dementia is engagement, communication  and loving care.

Every 66 seconds, someone in  America develops Alzheimer’s. It is estimated that nearly 500,000 new  cases of Alzheimer’s disease will be diagnosed this year. Get the facts  about Alzheimer’s disease—the most common form of dementia.

• An estimated 6.2 million Americans age 65 and older are living with  Alzheimer’s dementia in 2022. This number is expected to rise to  nearly  13 million by 2050.
• Almost  two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s are women. Of the 5.1 million  people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s in the United States, 3.2  million are women and 1.9 million are men.
• Although there are more non-Hispanic whites living with Alzheimer’s  and other dementias than people of any other racial or ethnic group in  the United States, older African-Americans and Hispanics are more likely  than older Whites to have Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.