The sadly known Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological degenerative disease affecting the brain and is the most common cause of dementia.
According to Alzheimer.net about 44 million people in the world are afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia-related pathologies and worldwide cost of Alzheimer’s care is estimated to be $605 billion (2016 statistics).
The symptoms are several, one of the most common is the loss of memory but also confusion with time of place, problems with speaking and writing etc. (for a more complete list we invite you to visit Alz.org).
The disease is diagnosed through the patient’s family and medical history with behavioral analysis. Other types of exams (E.g Computed Tomography or magnetic resonance imaging etc.) can detect or exclude other dementia subtypes.
Recently, a study led by Dr. Bateman in Missouri suggests that measures of Amyloid Beta protein in the blood can show altered levels of Amloyd Beta in brain or cerebrospinal fluid. This research can help identify Alzheimer’s risk before some symptoms such as memory loss occur, It would be a very important milestone because a simple blood test could help many people to prevent this pathology.
If you want to learn more, read the articles of Medical News Today and the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
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