The Deadly Disease

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First discovered in 1906 by psychiatrist Aloise Alzheimer, he found that genetically, the size of the brain is smaller than normal. Scientists around the world however have discovered that plaques called Amaloid and tangles called Tao are the cause. Plaque can start forming 20 years before symptoms start and the tangles attack the nerves in the brain causing the neurons to die more towards the end of the person's life cycle. At this time, Alzheimer's is at epidemic proportions with 40 million world-wide and 4 million in the USA alone affected. There are 20 different drugs in trial phases by pharmaceutical companies like Genentech and Biogen. It takes $350 million for these trials and months to analyze but so far these companies state that high dosages of these meds show a slow-down in the process but won't stop the disease. Alzheimer's can take 20 years to run it's course and the process speeds up for people over 65. Biogen states that their trials show that the mild to early stages of the disease slowed down by 80% with the drug they are using and the side-affects are headache and edema. They are hoping people will sign up for their trials. My Dad has mid stage Alzheimer's and he's 86 and I'll be 65 at the end of this month. He didn't start showing symptoms until he turned 80, so hopefully I won't either until then. Maybe by then, they'll have found the cure or there's going to be a whole bunch of us just kinda' wandering around. This information came from channel KERA on a NOVA special.