What is Alzheimer's Disease?

Sunday, 04 October 2009 19:40

Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia, was “discovered” one hundred years ago in Bavaria by Dr. Alois Alzheimer. It is a progressive and fatal disease. Alzheimer’s destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior. The cause of the disease is not known.

There are more than 5 million documented patients according to best estimates, with some experts suggesting that may be only 20% of the total number actually affected. The number of new cases grows by more than 10% per year. 10% of people over 65 have the disease; almost half over 85 have it.

Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death and is the only one of the major diseases (heart disease, breast and prostate cancer and stroke) to be increasing in mortality. It is the most costly disease in terms of Medicare and Medicaid expense of any of the major diseases. Alzheimer’s is an epidemic, heading toward also being a major economic disaster for the health care industry.

The cause of Alzheimer’s disease has eluded investigators for over a hundred years. Partly this is because Alzheimer’s is a genetically complex disease, and there have not been the tools or skills available for a full-scale assault on the disease until the last five or six years. Another reason is because of the prevalence of so many competing theories. The field has been slow to coalesce around one or a small number of leading candidate theories. There has not been enough funding for research, and from the federal level, funding is decreasing as Alzheimer’s disease reaches epidemic proportions as the baby boomers enter the danger age zone --- over 65.

Cure Alzheimer’s Fund can not solve these problems alone; but our contribution is to get much closer to an understanding of the cause(s) of the disease than ever before. Because AD is so genetically complex, the place to start is with the genes, and that is where most of CAF’s support has gone with great progress to report.

Learn more about our approach and funded research by reading our Roadmap to a Cure