什麼是阿滋海默症

大腦退化的疾病，發展於成年人中、晚期，導致漸進而無法挽回的記憶衰退和其他不同的認知功能退化。該症主要病變是大腦皮質（cerebral cortex）中的神經細胞和中性接合壞死。阿滋海默症是最常見的痴呆（dementia）形式。此症的症狀有：健忘而逐漸記憶力喪失；語言、感覺、運動技巧變差；情緒不穩定；最後病人會變得沒有反應、失去身體功能的活動和控制能力；終至死亡。但典型的時間是五～十年。本病最早由德國神經病理學家阿滋海默（Alois Alzheimer）在1906年所提出。他在一個五十五歲死於嚴重痴呆的屍檢病例中發現。阿滋海默症被認為是造成「老年痴呆」（senile dementia）的病因，還曾被認為是老化引起的。家族性阿滋海默症約佔總數的10%，發病年齡在六十歲以下。多發性灶狀神經炎和神經原纖維纏結是屍檢病理診斷根據。對於這個病，目前尚未有效治療方法，主要是對症治療，如抗抑鬱、糾正行為障礙、安眠等。

Alzheimer's disease

Degenerative brain disorder of middle to late adult life that destroys neurons and connections in the cerebral cortex, resulting in significant loss of brain mass. The most common form of dementia, Alzheimer's disease progresses from short-term memory impairment to further memory loss; deterioration of language, perceptual, and motor skills; mood instability; and, in advanced stages, unresponsiveness, with loss of mobility and control of body functions; death typically ensues in 5-10 years. Originally described in 1906 by the German neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer (1864-1915) in a 55-year-old and regarded as a presenile dementia, Alzheimer's disease is now recognized as accounting for the senile dementia once thought normal with aging. The 10% of cases that begin before age 60 result from an inherited mutation. Neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain on autopsy are the primary features used for diagnosis. No cure has been found. Most treatment targets the depression, behavioral problems, and sleeplessness that often accompany the disease.