Man with advanced Alzheimer’s disease realizing it’s his 70th birthday (7 pictures)
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death. It was first described in 1906 by German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer. Most often, AD is diagnosed in people over 65 years of age, although the less-prevalent early-onset Alzheimer’s can occur much earlier. In 2006, there were 26.6 million suffering worldwide. Alzheimer’s is predicted to affect 1 in 85 people globally by 2050
Although Alzheimer’s disease develops differently for every individual, there are many common symptoms. Early symptoms are often mistakenly thought to be ‘age-related’ concerns, or manifestations of stress. In the early stages the most common symptom is difficulty remembering recent events.
As the disease advances, symptoms can include confusion, irritability, aggression, mood swings, trouble with language, and long-term memory loss. As the the disease progresses, they often withdraw from family and society. [via]
