Dharmarajan T S, Gunturu Srinivas G
Vice-Chairman, Department of Medicine, Clinical Director, Division of Geriatrics, Montefiore Medical Center, North Division, Bronx, and Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY.
Resident, Department of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, North Division, Bronx, NY.
Am Health Drug Benefits. 2009 Jan;2(1):39-47.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia and increases in prevalence exponentially with age, with trends in the United States likely to worsen in ensuing decades. The pathology in Alzheimer's disease is characterized by an increase in extracellular amyloid plaques and intraneural neurofibrillary tangles, with neuronal destruction in several areas of the brain, and biochemically by a deficiency in acetylcholine; clinical manifestations include progressive loss of memory, change in personality, and behavioral disturbances. Pharmacotherapy includes the T.S. Dharmarajan Srinivas G. Gunturu use of cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine; addressing the many behavioral manifestations of the disease, especially in advanced stages, imposes tremendous burden to caregivers and healthcare resources.
阿尔茨海默病是痴呆症最常见的病因，患病率随年龄呈指数增长，美国的这一趋势在未来几十年可能会恶化。阿尔茨海默病的病理学特征是细胞外淀粉样斑块增加和神经内神经原纤维缠结，大脑多个区域出现神经元破坏，生化特征是乙酰胆碱缺乏；临床表现包括记忆力逐渐丧失、性格改变和行为障碍。药物治疗包括使用胆碱酯酶抑制剂和美金刚；应对该疾病的多种行为表现，尤其是在晚期，给护理人员和医疗资源带来了巨大负担。
