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          ARRoGANT                CoURiERS      WiTH     ESSaYS

Grade Level:       Type of Work           Subject/Topic is on:
 [ ]6-8                 [ ]Class Notes    [Question and Answer     ]
 [x]9-10                [ ]Cliff Notes    [Sheet for Alzheimer's   ]
 [ ]11-12               [ ]Essay/Report   [Disease and related     ]
 [ ]College             [x]Misc           [Disorders.              ]

 Date: 06/94  # of Words:900    School: ?              State: ?
ФФФФФФФФФ>ФФФФФФФФФ>ФФФФФФФФФ>Chop Here>ФФФФФФФФФ>ФФФФФФФФФ>ФФФФФФФФФ>ФФФФФФФФФ
                      ALZHEIMER'S QUESTION & ANSWER SHEET

             Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Assoc. Inc.
                         70 E. Lake Street, Suite 600
                            Chicago, Illinois 60601


                         What is Alzheimer's Disease?

The most common form of dementing  illness,  Alzheimer's  Disease  (AD)  is
a progressive,  degenerative  disease  that attacks the brain,  causing
impaired memory,  thinking and behavior.  The person with AD may experience
confusion, personality  and behavior changes,  impaired judgment,  and
difficulty finding words,  finishing thoughts or following directions.  It
eventually leaves  its victims incapable of caring for themselves.

               What happens to the brain in Alzheimer's Disease?

The nerve cells in the part of the brain that controls memory,  thinking,
are damaged, interrupting the passage of messages between cells. The cells
develop distinctive changes that are called neuritic plaques (clusters of
degenerating nerve cell ends) and neurofibrillary  tangles  (masses  of
twisted  filaments which  accumulate  in  previously  health  nerve cells).
The cortex (thinking center) of the brain shrinks (atrophies),  The spaces
in  the  center  of  the brain become enlarged, also reducing surface area
in the brain.

                 What are the symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease?

Alzheimer's Disease is a dementing illness which leads to loss of
intellectual capacity.  Symptoms  usually  occur  in older adults (although
people in their 40s and 5Os may also be affected) and include loss of
language skills --  such as trouble finding words,  problems with abstract
thinking,  poor or decreased judgment,  disorientation in place and time,
changes in mood or behavior  and changes in personality. The overall result
is a noticeable decline in personal activities or work performance.

                    Who is affected by Alzheimer's Disease?

Alzheimer's Disease knows no social or economic boundaries and affects men
and women  almost  equally.  The  disease  strikes  older persons more
frequently, affecting approximately 10% of Americans over age 65 and 47% of
those over age 85.

                       What causes Alzheimer's Disease?

The cause of Alzheimer's Disease is not known.  Researchers are
investigating suspected causes such as neurological damage,  chemical
deficiencies, viruses, genetic abnormalities,  environmental toxins and
malfunctions  in  the  body's disease defense systems.

                      Is Alzheimer's Disease hereditary?

There  is  a slightly increased risk that children,  brothers,  and sisters
of patients with Alzheimer's Disease will get it,  but most cases  are  the
only ones in a family.  Some patients who develop the disease in middle age
(called early onset) have a "familial" type -- more than one case in the
family. It is important to note that AD can  only  be  definitively
diagnosed  after  death through  autopsy  of  brain  tissue.  Thirty
percent  of  autopsies turn up a different diagnosis.  Families are
encouraged to  ask  for  an  autopsy  as  a contribution to learning more
about the genetics of AD.

            Are there treatments available for Alzheimer's Disease?

Presently,  there  is  no  definite cure or treatment for Alzheimer's
Disease. Unfortunately,  there are many unscrupulous individuals who
market  so-called "cures." These treatments are often expensive and they
don't cure AD. However, since  senility  is such a scary problem and
because families are desperate to find help for loved ones,  these bogus
treatments continue to  sell.  Most  of them have no scientific proof of
effectiveness.

                     How is Alzheimer's Disease diagnosed?

There  is no single clinical test for Alzheimer's Disease.  It is diagnosed
by ruling out all other curable or incurable causes of memory  loss.  A
positive diagnosis  of Alzheimer's Disease can only be made by
microscopically studying a small piece of brain tissue after death. The
cerebral cortex of an Alzheimer brain will have characteristic
abnormalities -- cells marred  by  plaques  and tangles.  However,  a
working  diagnosis  can be made through various testing procedures that
include a  thorough  physical  as  well  as  neurological  and
psychological examinations.

               How long do people with Alzheimer's Disease live?

People  diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease may live from two to 20 years
after the onset of memory loss symptoms.  It shortens one's expected life
span,  but given appropriate care and medical attention,  patients often
survive for many years at home or in a nursing home. Death can't usually be
predicted until the very terminal stages.  It is common for patients in
terminal-stage Alzheimer's to  lose  weight,  and to have difficulty
swallowing,  controlling bladder and bowels, walking and speaking.  They
may curl into a fetal position.  Alzheimer victims  often  succumb  to  a
series  of repeated infections such as bladder infections or pneumonia.

                   What is the scope of Alzheimer's Disease?

Alzheimer's afflicts approximately 4 million Americans and it's estimated
that one in three of us will face this disease in  an  older  relative.
More  than 100,000  die annually,  making Alzheimer's Disease the fourth
leading cause of death among adults.  Half of all current nursing home
patients  are  affected, making AD a costly public health and long term
care problem.  An estimated $80 billion is spent annually on  the  care  of
AD,  including  costs  diagnosis, treatment,  nursing home care,  at-home
care and lost wages.  Alzheimer's also affects the patient's caregivers,
who become the second victims.  Persons with AD  often  require 24-hour
care and supervision,  most of which is provided in the home by family and
friends.  In  addition  to  the  tremendous  stress  of providing  care,
families  also  bear  most  of  the financial burdens of the disease as
well.

                 Aren't memory problems normal in old people?

Benign,  or normal,  forgetfulness is part of the  normal  aging  process
and usually  begins  in  early  middle  age.  Most  people  have  some
experience forgetting names, appointments or where they left their keys.
However, normal forgetfulness  differs  from  Alzheimer's Disease in some
very important ways. The Alzheimer patient will frequently become lost  in
familiar  surroundings; forget  names of familiar people;  have problems
handing money;  forget how to dress,  read or write;  and lose the ability
to use the tools of daily  living such as a key or radio.
