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Alzheimer's Disease, A Growing Concern



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It can look like anxiety, depression, and even an inability to manage finances—Lee Health neurologists say the early signs of Alzheimer's disease can be subtle. "Alzheimer's is a form of dementia which is characterized mainly by memory failure and personality changes, difficulty doing activities of daily living, and a progressive decline in mental function. Sometimes people will say they are glad it's dementia and not Alzheimer's but in fact, they are the same. There are other forms of dementia but 70-75 percent of dementia is Alzheimer's disease," explained Dr. Jon Brillman, a neurologist with Lee Health.

A common diagnosis Dr. Brillman says currently affects nearly 50 percent of patients over the age of 80. "As our population is aging, and projected a quarter of the population is going to be over 65 in five or ten years, the incidence of Alzheimer's disease is going up. There are approximately six to seven million Americans living with Alzheimer's," he said.

While new medications are being trialed to slow the progression of Alzheimer's, at this time there is no cure for the disease. "Keep your mind active, keep yourself in good physical condition, get plenty of exercise, do crossword puzzles, that sort of thing. We don't think that's a cure but it's certainly something that can assist in managing the condition," said Dr. Brillman.

Other causes like medication, too much alcohol, a stroke, depression, or blood clots on the brain, can also mimic the early signs of Alzheimer's, making it important to have a patient evaluated if they start to experience any cognitive changes.



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Lee Health in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of health care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For more than 100 years, we’ve been providing our community with personalized preventative health services and primary care to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries. Lee Health - Caring People. Inspiring Care.


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