neurologic disorders
Alzheimer Disease
Introduction
Alzheimer disease causes progressive cognitive deterioration and is characterized by beta-amyloid deposits and neurofibrillary tangles in the cerebral cortex and subcortical gray matter. Diagnosis is clinical; laboratory and imaging tests are usually done to look for specific findings that suggest Alzheimer disease and to identify other treatable causes of dementia. Treatment is supportive. Cholinesterase inhibitors can sometimes temporarily improve cognitive function. (See also Overview of Delirium and Dementia and Alzheimer disease, a neurocognitive disorder, is the most common cause of Dementia ; it accounts for Age 65 to 74: 3% Age 75 to 84: 17% Age ≥ 85: 32% The disease is twice as common among women as among men, partly because women have a longer life expectancy. Prevalence in industrialized countries is expected to increase as the proportion of older people increases. 