Of all the different types of dementia that affect the elderly, it is Alzheimer's disease which causes the most concern; other types of dementia include Parkinson's disease and Huntingdon's - which isn't entirely restricted to the elderly. Affecting 10 percent of people over 65, Alzheimer's is a disease that causes a steady decline in memory; 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; despite a great deal of scientific investigation, not that much is known about this awful disorder.

According to studies, it is advancing age that is the greatest risk to developing Alzheimer's disease. Part of the problem in the early stages of Alzheimer's is the patient's reluctance to admit to anyone or themselves that they are experiencing problems; until this happens it is hard to start any form of treatment.

Dementia covers quite a broad spectrum of problems but they are all, including Alzheimer's disease, currently treated in a similar fashion. Unfortunately, because there is still so much that is unknown about the disease, there is no definite way to treat it although some symptoms can be improved or slowed down with drugs. At the moment, three drugs are used routinely to treat sufferers of Alzheimer's, all of which have been approved by the FDA - Donepezil, Tacrine, and Rivastigmine; they can improve the mental faculties of patients with this condition by up to 26 weeks.

Memantine is a new drug that slows deterioration during the later stages and is a derivative of the decades old anti-influenza drug Amantadine; this drug slows down the mental deterioration so those already prescribed Donepezil with severe symptoms are now prescribed Memantine instead. Memantine side effects are minimal but it is the first treatment to show a distinct effect on patients with a serious condition; with more than four fifths of Memantine excreted through the kidneys, little remains in the patients system.

Alzheimer's disease is thought to be one of the largest public health problems, primarily due to an increase in the life expectancy of people in the world; it is a major cause of death in America. There is also an economic aspect of caring for patients to consider, something that will affect governments 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; there are currently hundreds of substances being tested for treatments around the world.

One of the few factors that you can change to alter your risk of developing dementia is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. 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. At the moment, the disease is still primarily affecting the aged; there have however, been recent occasions (although rare) where a younger person has developed this condition.