Dementia and Alzheimer's

Dementia and Alzheimer's: Over 2000 dementia patients in the district of Euskirchen
The Department of Neurology of the Marien Hospital and the Alzheimer's Society in the district of Euskirchen have become the „Weltalzheimertag“ was used as an opportunity to organize an information event on dementia and its most common form Alzheimer's. More than 70 participants gathered information about the various dementia diseases, symptoms and possible therapeutic approaches in the hospital's premises.

According to estimates by experts in Germany, about 1.3 million people suffer from dementia, over 1.1 million of them with Alzheimer's disease. Not least because of demographic change, dementia is increasingly becoming a widespread disease in Germany as well. Therefore, the Alzheimer's Society and the Marien-Hospital also want to interest the citizens in the district of Euskirchen more on the topic and also use their event to give those affected some tips and assistance for dealing with a disease.

Lectures by specialists
The relatively high number of visitors to the lecture shows that the topic is also gaining increasing importance in the population. Dr. Hartmut Bauer, Chief Physician of the Department of Neurology of the Marien-Hospital and at the same time Chairman of the Kreis-Alzheimer-Gesellschaft and Professor Dr. med. Jörg Schulz, Director of Neurology at the University Hospital Aachen, led the evening and explained the audience about the history of Alzheimer's as well as the course and possible treatment approaches.

The story of Alzheimer's
Dr. Hartmut Bauer explained that the disease was named after its discoverer Alois Alzheimer, who first examined and described the history of a patient in 1901. A desperate husband had his 50-year-old wife, Auguste Deter, in the „Municipal institution for madmen and epileptic“ in Frankfurt. The husband described her symptoms as having become more and more suspicious, running about the flat uneasily, ringing neighbors, making confused claims, hiding things and feeling persecuted. Until her death in 1906, Auguste D. was cared for in the Frankfurt mental hospital, where Alois Alzheimer examined her during her lifetime and performed a dissection of the brain after her death. He noticed that protein deposits, the so-called „plaques“ in the brain of Auguste D., who were responsible for the onset of the disease. However, after the first publication, his scientific findings were forgotten for the time being, until they returned to the focus of science in the 1960s, Dr. Bauer continues to listen.

Facts and figures about the spread of dementia
In addition to the general information on the story, the participants learned about the event by Dr. Ing. Bauer also said that as many as one million people in Germany were already dissatisfied in 2002 and experts, even on optimistic estimates, assume that by 2030 there will be at least 1.7 million. In 2008, around 2,000 dementia patients were being treated in the district of Euskirchen. Bauer continues, and in his opinion the number of diseases in the district will double by 2030. The after Dr. Bauer's information 579 full-time care places focusing on dementia will probably not be sufficient for the district of Euskirchen in the long term.

Social consequences of Alzheimer's and dementia
As part of his lecture, Dr. Bauer also to speak on the social consequences of the disease. According to him, an Alzheimer's patient in Germany causes an average annual illness-related cost of around 44,000 euros. Considering the fact that around two-thirds of those affected are cared for by relatives at home, which has so far saved their cost-accounting, the financing requirement should increase enormously if adequate nursing places are expanded.

Symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's and dementia
Following the lecture by Dr. med. Bauer explained Prof. Dr. med. Jörg Schulz from the University Hospital Aachen the latest findings from the field of research and gave tips on how the audience can age healthy. He also explained the symptoms, such as temporal and spatial disorientation, the loss of previous knowledge or skills and the helplessness of patients. Dr. Schulz also emphasized the importance of early diagnosis and the possibilities to determine if dementia is present. The expert also stated that Alzheimer's dementia is not curable so far. Although there are therapies with which patients can gain time in which they stay fit for longer, but a cure or improvement of the mental state can not be achieved so far. In his detailed descriptions of the therapy methods, Dr. Schulz explicitly to the two „Drug classes“ which are currently available and which are used depending on the severity of the disease either mild to moderate dementia form or in severe diseases. On the future treatment options Dr. Schulz: „Research is currently working on new approaches designed to stem or perhaps even stop this disease progression.“

Open discussion
Following the lectures of the specialists Dr. Ing. Hartmut Bauer and Professor dr. Jörg Schulz, the audience was able to approach the experts with their specific questions and problems and discuss them intensively with them. (fp, 02.10.2010)