The Healhy Medicines Online

Article by Elvis Moses

Dementia is a hot topic and with an aging population it is not surprising that Alzheimer’s disease takes center stage when age related conditions are discussed. Currently affecting 10 percent of people over 65, Alzheimer’s is a disease that causes a steady decline in memory with diagnosis now approximately 87 to 94 percent accurate.

Even now, this complex disease is not that well understood. Studies have shown that the greatest known risk for developing Alzheimer’s is increasing age. Many people experiencing the first signs of Alzheimer’s are unwilling to admit to themselves or others that there is anything wrong.

Dementia covers quite a broad spectrum of problems but they are all, including Alzheimer’s disease, currently treated in a similar fashion. Stalling the progression and possibly improving the condition is about the best that can currently be achieved with drugs but no definitive treatment has yet been discovered. At the moment, three drugs are used routinely to treat sufferers all of which have been approved by the FDA, Donepezil, Tacrine, and Rivastigmine.

Another drug, Memantine, a derivative of the older anti-influenza drug Amantadine is proving successful at slowing down the mental decline of sufferers. There are very few side effects and four fifths of it are passed out in urine unchanged by the kidneys.

This is due to an increase in the life expectancy of the populations in the industrialized world. Although contracting the disease is a tragedy, the cost of treatment and care for sufferers is causing economic vibrations. Nearly half the annual budget was spent on research into the disease last year by the National Institute of Aging.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is one proven method you can use to reduce the risks of contracting dementia. Although not full proven yet, researchers studying Alzheimer’s patients have noticed that those who stay healthy and cheerful have slowed down the rate of decline. There have been incidents where a younger person has contracted the disease but it is hoped these will not start to increase.

Ana Texeira——————– BTW, i found a site about healthy mind healthy body in spanish: mente sana cuerpo sano

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