In only a very short space of time, Alzheimer's disease has become a major player in diseases affecting the elderly; currently the most prevalent type of age related dementia affecting the elderly today. If you spent time with a person with Alzheimer's disease, you will see a gradual decay in their ability to remember; diagnosis is improving with an accuracy of between 87 and 94 percent. Discovered in 1906 by German physician Alois Alzheimer, the world's focus on this disease is only about 30 years old; its effects are not fully understood even today with all the research that has been carried out.

Studies have shown that the greatest known risk for developing Alzheimer's is increasing age. Often, a person experiencing their first signs of Alzheimer's is unable or unwilling to admit it to themselves or anyone else; this can be difficult for friends and relations who do not know what the problem is.

Dementia covers quite a broad spectrum of problems but they are all, including Alzheimer's disease, currently treated in a similar fashion. Despite the studies, there is no permanent treatment for the condition but there are a number of drugs which can help with the condition. Most Alzheimer's disease sufferers will be prescribed one of the following drugs Donepezil, Tacrine, and Rivastigmine; they can improve the mental faculties of patients with this condition by up to 26 weeks.

A new drug, Memantine is helping to slow down the mental decline during the later phases and is similar to the anti-influenza treatment Amantadine; this drug slows down the mental deterioration so those already prescribed Donepezil with severe symptoms are now prescribed Memantine instead. The side effects of using Memantine are low, and it's the first drug shown to have an effect on the symptoms of moderate to severe cases; with more than four fifths of Memantine excreted through the kidneys, little remains in the patients system.

Owing to an increase in the life span of people around the world, Alzheimer's disease has become a major health issue; this disease is now the fourth largest cause of death in America alone. Although contracting the disease is a tragedy, the cost of treatment and care for sufferers is causing economic vibrations everywhere; with an annual cost of 40 billion US dollars for care and treatment, looking after patients is set to be a major problem. The National Institute on Aging spends half of its annual funding on research into this age related disease; global testing into various treatments are currently being investigated with hundreds of compounds under scrutiny.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is one proven method you can use to reduce the risks of contracting dementia. Some researchers into the disease have found that patients who are happy and healthy with Alzheimer's, slow down the rate of their mental decline. Fortunately this disease is still mainly affecting people over the age of 60; incidents of younger victims contracting the condition do occur, although these are rare.