Mal Alzheimer's

The Alzheimer's Disease (AD) or simply Alzheimer's, is a degenerative disease currently incurable but treatment has. The treatment improves health, slow cognitive decline, treating the symptoms, controlling behavior changes and provide comfort and quality of life among the elderly and their families. Was described for the first time in 1906 by German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer, who inherited the name. It is the leading cause of dementia in people over 60 years in Brazil and Portugal, being about two times more common than vascular dementia, and in 15% of cases occur simultaneamente.1Atinge 1% of the elderly between 65 and 70 years but its prevalence increases exponentially with age being 6% to 70, 30% at 80 years and more than 60% after 90 years.

Prevention

All studies of action to prevent or delay the effects of Alzheimer's disease is often unsuccessful. Nowadays, there seems to be no evidence to believe that any measure of prevention is definitely successful against Alzheimer's. However, studies indicate relationships between changeable factors such as diet, cardiovascular risk, use of pharmaceuticals or intellectual activity and the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's population. But only further research, including clinical trials, will reveal whether, in fact, these factors can help prevent Alzheimer's.

The inclusion of fruit and vegetables, bread, wheat and other cereals, olive oil, fish, and red wine, may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's. Algumasvitaminas as B12, B3, B9 C or studies were associated with lower risk for Alzheimer's disease, although some studies indicate that they have no significant effect on the onset or development of the disease and may have side effects. Some spices such as turmeric and curcumin showed success in the prevention of brain degeneration in mice.

Cardiovascular risk, derived from high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes and smoking, are associated with increased risk of developing the disease, and statins (drugs to lower cholesterol) were not successful in preventing or improving the patient's condition during development 's disease. However, the long term use of anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are also associated with a lower likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease in some individuals. No longer believes that other pharmaceutical treatments such as hormone replacement female prevent disease. In 2007, in-depth study concluded that there was inconsistent and unconvincing evidence that ginkgo has any positive effect on reducing the likelihood of Alzheimer's disease.

Intellectual activities such as reading, writing with your left hand, play board games (chess, checkers, etc..), Completing crossword puzzles, playing musical instruments, or regular socialization can also delay the onset or severity of Alzheimer's. Other studies have shown that too much exposure to magnetic fields and working with metals, especially aluminum, increases the risk of Alzheimer's. The credibility of some of these studies has been questioned even because other studies have found minimal relationship between environmental issues and the development of Alzheimer's.

Attitudes simple day to day can reduce the chances of developing the disease. One is minimizing the contact of food with aluminum. It is present in pots that store the leftovers from lunch to dinner, or vice versa. While staying in the refrigerator, for example, slowly pan butted loose small particles that contaminate food, prefer to store the leftovers in plastic containers, and return to the pot only when warm. Also avoid overuse depapel aluminum to wrap the food, particularly in snack for the kids. Give preference for plastic pots, which in addition to better preserve food without bending it avoids the expense with paper and helps nature in time to recycle, reducing the waste produced.

Often it is not possible to discern all stages of the disease. For a patient who is still in the first phase can now present difficulties of locomotion for example, and another patient who is already in the terminal stage still speaks with fluency (although meaningless phrases and even no name calling).

In 2009, scientists from the UK and France announced the discovery of three genes [clusterin (CLU or), PICALM and CR1] that could reduce by 20% their incidence rates in the population.

Treatment

Treatment aims to minimize symptoms, protect the nervous system and slow down as much as possible the evolution of the disease. The acetylcholinesterase inhibitors act by inhibiting the enzyme responsible for the degradation of acetylcholine that is produced and released by some brain areas (such as the nucleus basalis of Meynert). A deficiency of acetylcholine is considered a major factor in Alzheimer's disease, but not the only biochemical event / pathophysiological occurs. More recently, a group of drugs known as inhibitors of NMDA-type receptors (N-methyl-D-aspartate) glutamate entered the market already existing in Europe for over a decade. One such drug, memantine (10 mg HEIMER - Eurofarma) inhibits the binding of glutamate excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system receptors. Glutamate is responsible for excitotoxicidadecom reactions of free radicals and tissue injury and neuronal. There is a maxim in medicine that says that a disease can be intractable, but the patient does not.

The drug inhibitors of acetyl-colesterase are:

• Tacrine

• Donepesila

• Rivastimina

• Galantamine

• Rivastigmine

• metrifonate

Common side effects of these medicines:

• hepatotoxicity (30% Tacrine)

• Diarrhea

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Dizziness

• Fatigue

• Insomnia

• Lack of appetite

• Myalgia

Several of these side effects tend to disappear in the first weeks. They are more effective in early treatment because as the nucleus basalis of Meynert will remain degenerating fewer acetylcholine receptors. The amount of apolipoprotein E and estrogen are important predictors of therapeutic success.