Changing management practices in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is by far the most common cause of dementia in people over the age of 60 years (Hachinski et al 1987). At least 2 million people in Europe are currently suffering from this disease (George et al 1986). An estimated 4 million are affected in the USA, (Evans et al 1989) and there the cost of caring for these patients is estimated to be about $100 billion each year (Evans et al 1989). Thus, this disease has a huge impact on society, both economically and emotionally, in terms of the suffering patients and their families. There are no curative or preventative treatments for Alzheimer's disease at present, and there are none on the horizon (7–10 years). It is therefore important to maximize the use of available symptomatic therapies.