Читать книгу The Small Guide to Alzheimer's Disease - Gary Small - Страница 6

In medical school, I spent a total of one hour studying Alzheimer’s disease. We learned a few facts about memory loss and other symptoms and peeked through a microscope at some brain tissue showing evidence of the disease. At the time, none of my professors or colleagues foresaw the looming epidemic of Alzheimer’s on the horizon. Today it is one of the most feared diseases next to cancer. By age 65, the risk for developing Alzheimer’s dementia is 10 percent, but by age 85, that risk skyrockets to almost 50 percent—every other person might become affected.

When I became a geriatric psychiatrist, my practice quickly filled with memory-impaired older patients and their worried spouses, adult children, and caregivers hoping for answers but fearing the worst. In The Small Guide to Alzheimer’s Disease, I describe how doctors assess, diagnose, and treat the disease; provide guidance for caregivers; describe the latest research; and share several stories of how people come face-to-face with Alzheimer’s in their families—the challenges they face, the choices they make, and how they can better understand and manage this often overwhelming condition.

Gary Small, M.D.

Los Angeles, CA