(1,418 kb)
(1,418 kb)
Alzheimer's disease—a degenerative disease of the brain—could afflict more than 750,000 Canadians by 2031 as the baby boom ages. Alzheimer's disease and related dementias already affect 1 in 13 people older than 65, and 1 in 3 of those 85 and older.
German scientist Alois Alzheimer first identified this incurable disease in 1906. He discovered, while conducting an autopsy of a woman, that much of her brain had atrophied, and that dense bundles of fibres and peculiar formations of neurons, or brain cells, had developed. These formations, now referred to as tangles and plaques, provide the telltale evidence that a person has Alzheimer's disease.
The illness begins with loss of memory for recent events, and can cause changes in mood and behaviour, disorientation, decreased communication skills and impaired judgment and reasoning. Eventually, the patient requires full-time care.
Unfortunately, the disease also affects those who love and care for the patient—in 70% of cases, a wife or daughter. The stress of coping with the disease takes its toll on the caregivers: depression is nearly twice as common in those caring for someone with dementia as in other caregivers.
Canadians are among the leading scientists searching to understand and unravel the causes of the disease. In 1999, the Alzheimer Society of Canada granted more than $1 million toward research. Biomedical research is trying to discover the cause of the disease in order to prevent or cure it, while psychosocial research is looking at treatments and appropriate care for family and other caregivers of Alzheimer's patients.
There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, but new drugs are now available in Canada to treat the symptoms of people with the earlier stages of the disease.
Current research is exploring genetic and environmental causes of Alzheimer's disease. Clinical trials are examining drugs that may prevent or delay its onset, including the use of estrogen in hormone replacement therapy by postmenopausal women. Research in British Columbia is focusing on brain inflammation associated with Alzheimer's disease and on the effect of anti-inflammatory drugs known as NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), which could have a protective effect.