Alzheimer’s Disease
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
In 1907, German psychiatrist and neuropathologist, Dr Aloysius “Alois” Alzheimer, published a paper on presenile dementia for the very first time, based on a patient study.
It wasn’t until 1910 that the condition became known as Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s is a chronic neurodegenerative disease and the most common form of dementia.
The condition starts slowly, worsening over time as it damages the brain and causes symptoms including memory impairment, confused thinking and behavioural changes.
Symptoms
- Memory loss
- Confusion
- Personality and behavioural change
- Diminished ability to perform even basic tasks
The facts
- Alzheimer’s affects up to 70% of dementia patients
- The cause of the disease still isn’t fully understood
- About 70% of the risk is believed to be genetic
- It mainly affects people over 65, although up to 5% of cases are early onset Alzheimer’s
- Alzheimer’s can affect people of any age
- 3 in 10 Australians over the age of 85 suffer from dementia
- 244 Australians are diagnosed with dementia every day
- 413,106 Australians currently live with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
- 1,100,890 Australians will develop the disease by 2056 if we do not find a medical breakthrough.
- 50% of residents in Australian Government subsidised aged care facilities have dementia
- Worldwide, dementia affects about 47 million people
- It’s estimated that dementia will cost Australia up to $15 billion in 2019
- By 2056, this is expected to rise to $36 billion
Prevention
- Eat a healthy diet
- Exercise regularly
- Make sure you remain socially active
- Get regular, uninterrupted sleep
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Reduce alcohol intake
- Stop smoking
- Monitor and maintain healthy blood pressure
- Try to reduce the amount of stress in your life