Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Mild Cognitive Disorder (MCI)Dementia is a neurological disorder that impairs thinking, speaking, remembering, planning and reasoning. There are three common forms of dementia: More than 24.3 million people worldwide are currently estimated to have dementia, and 4.6 million new cases are diagnosed each year. The cost of the disease to the economy of the US is estimated at 100 Billion per year. Individuals suffering from AD may forget how to get back home, or how to count change, or how to dress up properly. This is very different when compared with a person who missed an exit on the way back home, or made a mistake when counting money, or wore his socks inside out. A person suffering from AD will typically not be fully aware of these mistakes, and will thus deny the difficulties, whereas a person making a mistake that resulted from poor concentration will, in most cases, realize the mistake and be able to correct it. It is believed that one in every ten people will have AD, at the age of 65 and five out of ten will have AD at the age of 85. AD, which is the most common form of dementia – a condition characterized by confusion, disorientation and inability to recall recent events, is a very serious illness involving progressive deterioration of brain cells, and so far has no cure. Even diagnosis of AD is difficult and is usually done by exclusion, which means that when all other possibilities are ruled out, for instance brain tumour, or severe depression, then a diagnosis of AD can be concluded. Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) MCI is a condition of memory loss that can be placed somewhere between normal aging and AD. Individuals suffering from MCI may still have good mental skills, but find it increasingly difficult to retain recently acquired information. Other areas of impairment include reduced focus and attention and difficulties with memory, planning, prioritizing, and reasoning. Brain imaging shows shrinkage of the hippocampus associated with this condition. Such shrinkage is common with aging but appears to be accelerated with MCI. It is believed that about 50% of people having MCI will eventually develop AD within 5 years from the onset of the symptoms. AttenGoTM may be of some benefit for dementia, AD and MCI related symptoms especially in the beginning of the process, but will have no curative effects for the long run. On the other hand, AttenGoTM has shown to be effective in improving all cognitive deficiencies associated with aging. |
Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
