There are more than 5 million people estimated to currently be living in the U.S with Alzheimer’s disease. However not many people know the depths of this disease. We currently associate Alzheimer’ with severe memory loss. There is more to this crippling disease as it affects ones behavior, speech and coordination. Help us spread awareness about brain health and Alzheimer’s disease with these truths:
- Mortality: Alzheimer’s is a fatal disease. There has yet to be any survivors. It causes erratic behavior, memory loss and changes, and the loss of body functions. Alzheimer’s destroys brain cells and slowly takes away a person’s ability to connect with friends and family, their sense of direction, identity, the ability to think, talk, and eat.
- Aluminum: Alzheimer’s in not caused by exposure to aluminum. Aluminum was thought to be a possible cause of Alzheimer’s in the 1950’s and 60’s. Since then, though many people thought exposure to aluminum cans, pots and antacids would cause the disease, it has yet to be proven.
- Aging and memory loss: Many people associate Alzheimer’s disease with memory loss and aging. It is normal for people to have occasional memory problems as they get older. Forgetting the name of a person they’ve recently met is normal. However, Alzheimer’s brings on more than memory loss. This disease causes the brain cells to malfunction and ultimately die. This causes the person to forget the names of a longtime friends, misplace things, or what roads to take when driving to a home they’ve lived in for years.
- A cure: There is currently no treatment to cure or delay Alzheimer’s disease. There are FDA-approved drugs that temporarily slow the worsening symptoms of the disease for around 6 to 12 months for about 50% of the people that take them.
- Elderly disease: Alzheimer’s does not only occur in people in 65 or older. It can strike people as early as their 30s, 40s and 50s. This is form is called younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease. More than 5 million people live with Alzheimer’s disease in the United States, including around 200,000 people younger than 65 with younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
If you or a loved on is experiencing symptoms relating to Alzheimer’s Disease, call us directly or sign up below to see if you qualify for our currently enrolling study!
Source: Alz.org Photo: stock.tookapic.com No Fields Found.