Alzheimer’s is a disease that if often heard about and known as “that disease that old people have”, but some people don’t truly know what Alzheimer’s does to the person who has it.

Alzheimer’s is a disease that was first described in 1906 by a German physician named Alois Alzheimer. Since the first description of the disease, it has been a primary concern of doctors and neurologists alike.

Several things are known about Alzheimer’s. For one, there is no cure – just like many degenerative neurological diseases. It is labeled as primarily progressive. That means it always tends to get worse and usually the effects are irreversible. Also, Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, a disease and state people tend to enter as they grow older with age.

“What does Alzheimer’s do, exactly?” you may ask. First and foremost, the brain is a very complex structure that contains approximately 100 billion neurons. Neurons communicate with one another to carry out specific functions and to relay messages throughout the body and are the cells of the brain (nerve cells).

However, with Alzheimer’s, parts of the nerve cells stop working and ultimately this causes a domino-like effect, causing breakdowns and backups in the cells, eventually damaging them enough until they die. This leads to cognitive and motor skills being damaged.

Alzheimer’s tends to affect people who are over 65. However, if someone under the age of 65 is diagnosed, they are said to have a “younger-onset”. But it is estimated that about 500,000 people who are deemed to be middle-aged have dementia or even Alzheimer’s itself. Alzheimer’s can be seen throughout many ages.

Alzheimer’s has many symptoms that are often quite obvious and need medical attention. Memory loss, difficulty performing normal tasks, disorientation of time and place, changes in personality and loss in initiative are some red flags of the degenerative disease. Sometimes the symptoms may really be from age or Alzheimer’s. That’s why it is so important to have a doctor evaluate someone to determine what it may be.

For more information about Alzheimer’s, visit alz.org .