What Is Alzheimer’s?

Alzheimer’s is a degenerative disease of the brain in which nerve cells stop communicating with one another, damaging the centers affecting memory, speech and personality. Parts of the brain that control other functions, such as heartbeat and breathing, often remain intact. Although scientists believe the disease can start decades before symptoms do, patients may live with the disease five to 20 years after its diagnosis.

In fact, says the Alzheimer’s Assn., although more than 4 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s and 100,00 of them die of it each year, only in the last four or five years has there been a measurable public awareness of the disorder’s symptoms and causes. “It’s no coincidence that Alzheimer’s has come out of the closet during the time that President and Mrs. Reagan decided to be very open and public about his diagnosis,” says Peter Braun, executive director of the association’s Los Angeles chapter. “For that, we are supremely grateful.”

For more information, call the Alzheimer’s “help line” at (800) 660-1993.