The Alzheimer’s Association has identified an emerging public health crisis among African Americans — the Silent Epidemic of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The Alzheimer’s Association has found that Alzheimer’s disease is more prevalent among African-Americans than among whites — with estimates
ranging from 14% to almost 100% higher.
Age is a key risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease in all races. It is estimated that over 10% of persons over 65 and nearly half of those over 85 have Alzheimer’s disease. Research also shows that persons with a history of either high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels are twice as likely to get Alzheimer’s disease. We already know that African Americans are disproportionately affected by high blood pressure and diabetes. So what is Alzheimer’s disease? Well, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia among older people. Dementia is a brain disorder that seriously affects a person’s ability to carry out daily activities. In Alzheimer’s, the parts of the brain that control memory, thinking, and judgment are initially affected. Although a lot has been learned about
Alzheimer’s, scientists do not yet fully understand what causes it.
So what are the symptoms? Alzheimer’s begins slowly. At first, the only symptom may be mild forgetfulness, which can be confused with age-related memory change. Most people with mild forgetfulness do not have AD. Also in the early stage of AD, people may have trouble remembering recent events, activities, or the names of familiar people or things. They may not be able to solve the simple math problems. However, as the disease goes on, symptoms are more easily noticed and become serious enough to cause people with AD or their family members to seek medical help. Their forgetfulness begins to interfere with daily activities, like forgetting how to brush their teeth or comb their hair. They don’t recognize familiar people or places and they begin to have problems with speaking, understanding, writing or reading. Later on they become anxious or aggressive or wander away from home. Eventually, they need total care.
It is important to get an early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s so that the person affected and their family can plan for

the future. The only definite way to diagnose AD is to find out whether there are plaques and tangles in brain tissue. This can only be done after a person dies on autopsy. Therefore, doctors can only make a diagnosis of either probable or possible while the person is still alive. Doctors use several tools to help them make a diagnosis.
• They ask questions about the person’s general health, past medical problems, and ability to carry out daily activities.
• They test their memory, problem solving, attention, counting and language.
• They do medical testing which may include blood, urine, spinal fluid and brain scans.
Alzheimer’s disease is a slow, progressive disease starting with mild memory problems and ending with severe brain damage.
The course the disease takes and how fast changes occur vary from person to person. On average, AD patients live from 8 to 10 years after they are diagnosed, though some people may live with AD for as many as 20 years.
Scientists have not discovered a treatment that can stop or prevent Alzheimer’s disease. However, for some people in the earlyand middle stages of the disease, there are some medications that may help to prevent some symptoms from becoming worse for a
limited period of time, in other words, slow the progression. Those medications are Aricept, Exelon, and Razadyne. Another medication, Namenda, has been approved by the FDA to treat moderate to severe Alzheimer’s, with limited effectiveness.
The National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health is the lead Federal agency for Alzheimer’s research. Their scientists are testing a number of drugs to see if they can prevent AD, slow the disease or help reduce symptoms. Clinical trials
are being conducted to see if these drugs will be safe and effective.
Most often, spouses and other family members provide the day-to-day care for people with Alzheimer’s. As the disease gets worse, people often need more and more care. This can be hard for caregivers and can affect their physical and mental health, family life, job and finances. The Alzheimer’s Association has chapters nationwide that provide educational programs and support groups for caregivers and family members. To find out more information about these services, you can visit www.alz.org or our website www.healthy.com.