Alzheimer's disease (AD) is not only affecting increasingly large numbers of elderly and even middle-aged people in a worldwide epidemic, but also appears to be under-diagnosed and under-treated. In Alzheimer's Disease: A Physician's Guide to Practical Management, clinicians, scientists, and opinion leaders from all over the world provide a concise practical guide to the evaluation, assessment, and treatment of individuals with probable AD, illuminating the basic biology underlying the disease and outlining the many emerging therapeutic as well as promising preventive directions. On the clinical side, the authors focus on such issues as early changes and preclinical conditions-including mild cognitive impairment and predementia AD-how the patient presents, the state-of-the-art therapy, and the recent neuropsychiatric aspects of AD. Late-life issues are discussed, as well as the treatment of frequent comorbidities and the often-neglected dental care. On the practical side, guidance is offered to medical providers and caregivers on the deep feelings of isolation, loneliness, and despair that the illness can create in caregivers, and on how to overcome the consequent breakdown in communication with the patient. The authors also provide a comprehensible account of our current understanding of AD, as well as intriguing future strategies for its prevention and treatment, including stem cell therapy.
Comprehensive and practical, Alzheimer's Disease: A Physician's Guide to Practical Management not only offers physicians, caregivers, and all interested lay people a readable future-oriented overview of the disease, but also bridges the gap between basic science and the everyday challenges of treating and managing AD patients.

Klappentext

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating and dehumanizing illness affecting increasingly large numbers of elderly and even middle-aged persons in a worldwide epidemic. Alzheimer's Disease: A Physician's Guide to Practical Management was written by selected clinicians and scientists who represent some of the world's leading centers of excellence in AD research. The editors are proud and grateful for their profound contributions. This book is particularly designed to assist physicians and other health-care professionals in the evaluation, assessment, and treatment of individuals with AD. At the same time, by illuminating the basic scientific background, we hope to provide state-of-the art information about the disease and possible future therapeutic strategies. The recent psychiatric treatment aspects of AD are also clearly presented. Because the early diagnosis of the dementia process is now considered of increasing importance, we focus particularly in several chapters on early changes and preclinical conditions, such as mild cognitive impairment and predementia AD.

Inhalt

Part I. Scientific Background of Alzheimer's Disease Genetics of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders John Hardy Neuropathology of Alzheimer's Disease Christian Schultz, Kelly Del Tredici, and Heiko Braak Oxidative Stress in the Development of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias Domenico Praticò Metabolism and Alzheimer's Disease John P. Blass Part II. Epidemiology Alzheimer's Disease: Epidemiological and Statistical Data Brigitte Zoeller Richter and Ralph W. Richter The Economic Burden of Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Anders Wimo and Bengt Winblad Potential and Established Risk Factors for Alzheimer's Disease Brigitte Zoeller Richter Part III. Clinical Assessment Medical Diagnosis and Workup of Alzheimer's Disease Ralph W. Richter Neuroimaging Techniques: CT, MRI, SPECT, PET Norman L. Foster Biological Markers in Alzheimer's Disease Ramon Diaz-Arrastia and Fred Baskin The Neuropsychology of Alzheimer's Disease Kirsten I. Taylor and Andreas U. Monsch Vascular Cognitive Impairment in Clinical Practice Kenneth Rockwood and Timo Erkinjuntti Lewy Body Disease Robert Barber, Jane Newby, and Ian G. McKeith Frontotemporal Lobe Dementia Malgorzata Franczak, Diana Kerwin, and Piero Antuono Part IV. The Transitional Stage Mild Forgetfulness: Distinguishing Early AD from Normal Aging Scott A. Small Mild Cognitive Impairment: What the Physician Should Know Brigitte Zoeller Richter Diagnosis of Predementia AD in a Clinical Setting Pieter Jelle Visser Loss of Olfactory Function in Patients With Alzheimer's Disease Claire Murphy and Paul E. Gilbert Part V. Treatment Options Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease: BasicConsiderations Brigitte Zoeller Richter and Ralph W. Richter Donepezil in Treatment of AD Ging-Yuek Robin Hsiung and Howard Feldman Rivastigmine for Treatment of AD Martin R. Farlow Galantamine in Treatment of AD M. Saleem Ismail and Pierre N. Tariot Memantine in Treatment of AD Hans Jörg Möbius Alternative Treatment Options Brigitte Zoeller Richter Part VI. Late-Stage Therapy Pain and Palliative Care in Late-Stage Dementia Patients Sophie Pautex, Dina Zekry, Gilbert Zulian, Gabriel Gold, and Jean-Pierre Michel Cardiological Issues in Late-Stage Alzheimer's Disease: A Clinician's Approach José R. Medina Part VII. Prevention Strategies Neuroprotection and Neurodegenerative Disease Frank John Emery Vajda Neurotrophic Factors for Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease Mark H. Tuszynski Statins in Prevention and Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease David A. Drachman Potential Role of Androgens and Androgen Receptors in Alzheimer's Disease Jacob Raber Role of Nutrition in Prevention or Delay of Alzheimer's Disease Hannes B. Staehelin Impact of Physical Activity on Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease Danielle Laurin, René Verreault, and Joan Lindsay Part VIII. Future Developments Stem Cell Therapy for Alzheimer's Disease Kiminobu Sugaya Secretases as Potential Targets for Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease Weiming Xia AMPA Potentiation as a Treatment Option for Alzheimer's Disease Amy S. Chappell and Michael M. Witte Glycosaminoglycans as Potential Future Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease Umberto Cornelli Implications of Research for Management of AD Peter J. Whitehouse Part IX. Treatment Outcome Measurement Rating Scales and Outcome