If October was the month for breast cancer awareness, November is the month for Alzheimer’s Disease awareness. A lot of people know about this disease, or at least have heard about it. But what do you really know about it?
I tried asking different people what they know about Alzheimer’s and I got different answers. Most of them – from young to old – have an idea of what Alzheimer’s is all about and the general consensus is that is has something to do with the brain and memory. This is true but let’s go into the details a little more.
Alzheimer’s Disease is described by MSN Health as:
Alzheimer’s disease damages the brain. It causes a steady loss of memory and how well you can speak, think, and carry on daily activities.
Alzheimer’s disease always gets worse over time, but how quickly this happens varies. Some people lose the ability to do daily activities early on. Others may still do fairly well until much later in the disease.
Mild memory loss is common in people older than 60. It may not mean that you have Alzheimer’s disease. But if your memory is getting worse, see your doctor. If it is Alzheimer’s, treatment may help.
The disease is attributed to changes in the brain, specifically the decrease of neurotransmitters.
These are chemicals which transmit messages or signals. As to why these changes occur, the medical community has no specific answer yet. Studies are ongoing and it may just be a matter of time till we find out more about Alzheimer’s Disease.
Originally posted on November 11, 2008 @ 11:58 am