Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder and the leading cause of dementia in the elderly. It is predicted that by 2050 over 13 million people in the United States will have AD dementia [1]. AD has an immense socioeconomic impact on patients, families, and caregivers and is a huge burden to the health-care system as the cost of care for AD and other dementias is expected to increase from an estimated $203 billion in 2013 to a projected $1.2 trillion per year by 2050 [2]. Clinical onset of AD is characterized by initial symptoms of short-term memory loss, which worsens gradually and is accompanied by language disturbances, apathy, and impairments in executive function and daily functioning. Neuropsychiatric symptoms (e.g., depression, anxiety, hallucinations) are frequent in mid- to late stages.
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Ikonomovic, M.D., DeKosky, S.T. (2014). Alzheimer’s Disease. In: Lammert, E., Zeeb, M. (eds) Metabolism of Human Diseases. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-0715-7_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-0715-7_7
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