Abstract

ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE – AN OVERVIEW

Megha Vasani*, Rajendrakumar Mehta, Anandkumari Captain and Chandni Patel

ABSTRACT

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases and is considered to be the main cause of cognitive impairment in elderly people. The major symptom of AD is progressive dementia that eventually results in dysfunction of daily life. Due to the fact that AD has a long period of incubation before clinical symptoms emerge, the available therapeutic treatments can only improve the symptoms but not delay the progression of AD. Age is the primary risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a critical public health issue in many countries around the world, with a significant health, social, and financial burden on society. AD is a multifactorial disease, with no single cause known, and several modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors are associated with its development and progression. AD is caused by the accumulation of neurofibrillary proteins: beta-amyloid (Aβ) and hyperphosphorylated Tau in neurons. Overaccumulation of these aggregates leads to synaptic dysfunction and subsequent neuronal loss. This review totally discusses about the history, epidemiology, types, risk factors, pathophyisology, drugs and non-pharmacologic therapy.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Dementia, Cholinesterase and neurodegenrative.