- published: 03 Apr 2014
- views: 364634
Alzheimer's disease (AD), also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease, is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death. It was first described by German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906 and was named after him.
Most often, AD is diagnosed in people over 65 years of age, although the less-prevalent early-onset Alzheimer's can occur much earlier. In 2006, there were 26.6 million sufferers worldwide. Alzheimer's is predicted to affect 1 in 85 people globally by 2050.
Although Alzheimer's disease develops differently for every individual, there are many common symptoms. Early symptoms are often mistakenly thought to be 'age-related' concerns, or manifestations of stress. In the early stages, the most common symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. When AD is suspected, the diagnosis is usually confirmed with tests that evaluate behaviour and thinking abilities, often followed by a brain scan if available.
For fifty-two years
We have been married
We've had a lucky life
But now the problems have begun
She's really changed, I can't understand my wife
What's happened with her mind
She keeps forgetting things
I realize the degeneration of her memory
Her lack of independence
Distractedness, personality decline
Obstructions of recollections
The years pass slowly
A lot has changed in my life
She's living with a persecution complex
My wife's a total physical wreck
She's regressing more and more
Her behaviour is like infancy
I see only a grown-up foetus
Nobody will help her
I know she will die