Every year on September 21, the world celebrates International Alzheimer's Day, or World Alzheimer's Day. It was established in 1994 at the initiative of organizations involved in research into the disease and finding ways to slow its development.
And since 2012, not only one day, but the whole of September is considered World Alzheimer's Month. All organizations involved in the fight against this terrible and incurable disease strive to pay maximum attention to the people who became its victims. The purpose of — information campaigns is to inform the population as much as possible about the course of the disease, treatment and care of the patient.
Alzheimer's disease (Alzheimer's-type senile dementia) – is a neurodegenerative disease first described in 1906 by German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer. It is usually found in people over 65 years of age, but there is also early Alzheimer's disease (a rare form).
There are currently about 55 million people in the world suffering from senile dementia. According to experts, this figure will grow steadily and by 2050 will reach 139 million people. According to Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI), a leading international volunteer organization in the field of care and support for people with Alzheimer's disease, a new case of dementia is diagnosed every three seconds in the world.
Doctors in Ancient Greece also noted the connection between old age and weakening of the mind, but only at the beginning of the 20th century did the German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer describe the disease that was later named after him. He published an analysis of the illness of a fifty-year-old patient in 1906 after her death. Then several more similar descriptions appeared in the medical literature. Alzheimer's disease was soon recognized as a disease in its own right.
Dementia – is a progressive or chronic syndrome in which degradation and destruction of the ability to think (that is, cognitive function) occurs to a greater extent than occurs during the normal course of the aging process. In dementia, there is a decrease in memory, thinking, understanding, speech and the ability to navigate, count, cognize and reason.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of – dementia, accounting for 60-70 percent of all cases of dementia. Dementia affects people in all countries. The study of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, is very relevant as the world's population ages rapidly.
Alzheimer's disease affects people without a direct connection with their education and standard of living. Famous people who suffered from this disease include – Pope John Paul II, 40th US President Ronald Reagan, British Prime Ministers Harold Wilson and Margaret Thatcher, Spanish Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez, writers Iris Murdoch and Terry Pratchett, actors Peter Falk and Annie Girardot and many others.
It is worth noting that so far, despite periodic sensational statements, no means of combating this disease has been found. With the help of medicine, you can only partially correct the condition of a person suffering from Alzheimer's disease, smooth out symptoms and slow down the progression of the disease.
The big problem is that relatives initially do not pay attention to some oddities in the behavior of an elderly person, considering this a manifestation of a person’s character, or simply old age. And when changes in behavior and character become dangerous for loved ones and the patient himself, relatives turn to doctors, but in most cases it is already too late. And sometimes unscrupulous healers profit from such a situation, claiming that they can cure this incurable disease.
Alzheimer's disease places a heavy burden on the patient's family and loved ones. If you suspect that someone close to you is susceptible to this disease – study the information, contact specialists, conduct the necessary research and be sure to begin early correction. Be sure to take care of your health – it will take a lot, since caring for patients with this disease is associated with large moral, emotional, physical and material costs.
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