Alzheimer's disease: a healthcare burden of epidemic proportion.
Year: 2009
Type: article
Abstract: Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia and increases in prevalence exponentially with age, with trends in the United States likely to worsen in ensuing decades. The pathology in Alzheimer's disease is characterized by an increase in extracellular amyloid plaques and intraneural neurofibrillary tangles, with neuronal destruction in several areas of the brain, and biochemically by a deficiency in acetylcholine; clinical manifestations include progressive loss of memory, change in personality, and behavioral disturbances. Pharmacotherapy includes the T.S. Dharmarajan Srinivas G. Gunturu use of cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine; addressing the many behavioral manifestations of the disease, especially in advanced stages, imposes tremendous burden to caregivers and healthcare resources.
Source: Europe PMC (PubMed Central)
Authors: T S Dharmarajan, Srinivas G Gunturu
Institutions: Montefiore Medical Center, New York Medical College
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2139120399