Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a diagnosis applied to a group of degenerative brain disorders with similar clinical and pathological characteristics. It is the most common cause of dementia, with onset of symptoms after the age of fifty-five years. It is recognized as a major public health concern in societies with an aging population. AD affects four million people in the United States. At least 90 percent of those affected are over sixty-five years of age. In 1998 direct health care costs were estimated to be $50 billion. Indirect costs, such as lost productivity and absences from work, were estimated to be $33 billion.
First Description of Ad
In 1907, Alois Alzheimer, a German physician from Bavaria, published the case of one of his patients. The patient, Mrs. Auguste D., at the age of fifty-one years developed an unfounded jealousy regarding her husband. This behavioral change was followed closely by a subtle and slow decline in other cognitive abilities, including memory, orientation to time and to physical location, language, and the ability to perform learned behaviors. All of her difficulties gradually progressed in severity. Within three years, the patient did not recognize her family or herself, could not maintain her self-care,and was institutionalized.
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