Pharmacy Clinical Pearl of the Day: Symptoms of Alzheimer Disease

Clinical Pearl of the Day: Symptoms of Alzheimer Disease

Alzheimer disease is a progressive neurologic disorder that causes the brain to shrink (atrophy) and brain cells to die.

Explanation:

• Alzheimer disease is the most common cause of dementia—a continuous decline in thinking, behavioral, and social skills that affects a person's ability to function independently.
• Approximately 5.8 million people in the United States 65 years of age and older live with Alzheimer disease.
• Symptoms include loss of memory and loss of appropriate thinking and reasoning process.
• Changes in the personality may include depression, social withdrawal, mood swings, distrust in others, irritability, wandering, and delusions.
• Causes may include beta-amyloid plaques and Tau protein tangles.
• Treatment may include Cholinesterase inhibitors, such as donepezil (Aricept), galantamine (Razadyne) and rivastigmine (Exelon), memantin (Namenda), and, most recently, aducanumab (Aduhelm).

Sources:

• Alzheimer's disease - Diagnosis and treatment - Mayo Clinic
• alzheimer's disease - Google Search