Alzheimers Resource

The Root of Alzheimer's May Be
Found in Your Family History...

...Alzheimer's disease is a primary degenerative cerebral disease of unknown etiology, with characteristic neuropathological and neurochemical features.

It is usually insidious in onset and develops slowly but steadily over a period of years. This period can be as short as 2 or 3 years, but can occasionally be considerably longer.

The onset can be in middle adult life or even earlier (Alzheimer's disease of presenile onset), but the incidence is higher in later life (Alzheimer's disease of senile onset).

In cases with onset before the age of 65-70, there is the likelihood of a family history of a similar dementia, a more rapid course, and prominence of features of temporal and parietal lobe damage, including dysphasia or dyspraxia.

In cases with a later onset, the course tends to be slower and to be characterized by more general impairment of higher cortical functions. Patients with Down's syndrome are at high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

There are characteristic changes in the brain: a marked reduction in the population of neurons, particularly in the hippocampus, substantia innominata, locus ceruleus, and temporoparietal and frontal cortex; appearance of neurofibrillary tangles made of paired helical filaments; neuritic (argentophil) plaques, which consist largely of amyloid and show a definite progression in their development (although plaques without amyloid are also known to exist); and granulovacuolar bodies.

Neurochemical changes have also been found, including a marked reduction in the enzyme choline acetyltransferase, in acetylcholine itself, and in other neurotransmitters and neuromodulators.

As originally described, the clinical features are accompanied by the above brain changes. However, it now appears that the two do not always progress in parallel: one may be indisputably present with only minimal evidence of the other.

Presumptive Diagnosis 

Nevertheless, the clinical features of Alzheimer's disease are such that it is often possible to make a presumptive diagnosis on clinical grounds alone, but there is another alternative.

Hereditary Health Solutions.com, a website dedicated to helping people answer medical questions or solve medical Problems.  They do that by locating missing Family Members to learn of health history clues that may pertain to your patient.

There are over 4000 Inherited Diseases which include everything from Cancer to Alzheimer’s  
It is extremely important that everyone has a complete Medical History and that can only come from locating your "Blood Relatives.

Hereditary Health Solutions.com was developed after Private Investigators at Weisz’s Company, International Locator, Inc., an International People Search Firm, noticed that 1 out of every 3 search requests involved Family Medical History.

In addition to locating missing Family Members, the company offers a Confidential Intermediary Service where Medical Information can be exchanged between the Parties (or the Partie's Physicians) anonymously, if desired.

http://www.HereditaryHealthSolutions.com is the first People Search Service to address what may be a Life-or-Death issue, the search for Medical Answers through Genealogical Research."

Next we will discuss Alzheimer's drugs in research...

Alzheimers Resource