A frequent disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a frequent pathology of the elderly.

Its causes and therapeutic possibilities are intensively being studied since the rapid increase of cases.  In fact, due to its frequency and terrible consequences on the personal, family and social level, Alzheimer’s disease is the most important degenerative pathology of the central nervous system, characterized by a progressive deterioration of intellectual functions (dementia syndrome).

It almost exclusively affects the elderly, 3% of people over 65 years of age and almost 50% of those over 85 will suffer this disease.  Many Latin American countries do not have epidemiology studies, but if we compare the numbers in USA, in Argentina for example there would be approximately 400,000 persons with dementia.

Scientists state that its appearance is related to the accumulation in the brain of a substance named amyloid, and an early detection of the disease would favor better prognosis, for which this is also a topic of intense research.

Collaborated in this article: Dr. Ricardo Allegri

Luis Pasteur developed the food sterilization method that we now know as pasteurization.