{"id":98570,"date":"2014-11-18T08:53:16","date_gmt":"2014-11-18T13:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=98570"},"modified":"2015-09-24T11:39:26","modified_gmt":"2015-09-24T15:39:26","slug":"alzheimers-disease-setting-the-record-straight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2014\/11\/alzheimers-disease-setting-the-record-straight\/","title":{"rendered":"Alzheimer\u2019s Disease \u2013 Setting the Record Straight"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dr.<\/a>
Dr. Kristina Zdanys, geriatric psychiatrist at UConn Health.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Can your diet deter dementia? Is there a link between cold <\/em>sores and Alzheimer\u2019s? <\/em>Do crossword puzzles help prevent memory decline? <\/em><\/p>\n

There are many misconceptions about Alzheimer\u2019s disease, the most common form of dementia. UConn Today asked Dr. Kristina Zdanys<\/a>, geriatric psychiatrist at UConn Health, to set the record straight. Zdanys, whose special interests include later-life mental health problems including cognitive and mood disorders, also discusses the latest treatment options for this devastating disease, and the growing incidence of \u201ccaregiver burnout.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Q. With November being Alzheimer\u2019s Awareness Month, what is the biggest misconception you would like to make people aware of regarding Alzheimer\u2019s disease or dementia in general?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> People often believe that Alzheimer\u2019s disease is part of \u201cnormal aging.\u201d This is not true. Many people forget where they put down their glasses, and often that is nothing to worry about. Losing your glasses occasionally is not Alzheimer\u2019s! When someone has Alzheimer\u2019s, forgetfulness increases to the point where it affects the person\u2019s ability to do their daily routine (such as paying the bills, managing their medications, or cooking a meal). That is not normal aging. Part of the misconception is that so many older people have some degree of Alzheimer\u2019s \u2013 more than 40 percent over the age of 85 \u2013 so it may seem like a part of the aging process. Anyone experiencing memory problems should discuss with a physician, just as someone would see a doctor to evaluate pain or a cough.<\/p>\n

Q. What is the difference between Alzheimer\u2019s and dementia? It seems like a lot of people lump these two together. <\/strong><\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> Dementia is a broad term that describes a variety of diseases in which people suffer from memory impairment that gets worse over time and affects their ability to function in their daily lives. Alzheimer\u2019s is the most common type of dementia, so the two terms are often used interchangeably. Some other types of dementia are Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, and frontotemporal dementia. Each of these involves memory impairment but the associated symptoms are different. A parallel distinction may be made with cancer \u2013 many people are diagnosed with cancer, but not everybody has the same kind.<\/p>\n

Q. Are people being diagnosed with Alzheimer\u2019s or dementia at a younger age? If so, why is that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> Age is the number one risk factor for developing Alzheimer\u2019s disease. Risk doubles every five years after the age of 65, to the extent that over 40 percent of people aged 85 and over have some degree of Alzheimer\u2019s disease. That said, there are some people who do develop Alzheimer\u2019s younger than age 65, in the range of 6 to 7 percent of all Alzheimer\u2019s cases. We consider those patients to be \u201cearly onset,\u201d and often this type of Alzheimer\u2019s runs in families. While I would not say people are developing Alzheimer\u2019s at a younger age, I do think there is more awareness among doctors to be screening patients for any signs of a memory problem, which helps to diagnose Alzheimer\u2019s at an earlier stage of the disease.<\/p>\n

Q. Lately there seem to be a lot of high-profile, celebrity doctors who are making claims that certain dietary changes can prevent or even cure Alzheimer\u2019s. Is there any validity to those claims?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> To be clear: there is no known way to prevent or cure Alzheimer\u2019s disease. However, we like to say that \u201cheart health is brain health.\u201d Maintaining a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, and staying socially connected is helpful for overall health. A healthy diet and exercise specifically may decrease risk of stroke, which is something that often makes Alzheimer\u2019s symptoms worse.<\/p>\n

Q. Can crossword puzzles and other brain games deter dementia?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> Puzzles and brain games do not prevent Alzheimer\u2019s or other types of dementia, but they certainly can\u2019t hurt. It is important to \u201cwork out\u201d different parts of your brain, just like you would work out different muscles at the gym. If you like them, do them. If puzzles are not your thing, reading, attending lectures, listening to music, or going to the museum are other ways to keep your brain engaged.<\/p>\n

Q. We heard about research showing that cold sores might be associated with Alzheimer\u2019s.\u00a0 Is this true?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> Cold sores are caused by the virus Herpes Simplex Type 1. Recent research showed an association between people who had this virus and development of Alzheimer\u2019s disease. However, there is no cause for alarm. An association between two things does not necessarily mean cause and effect. There are a variety of other unknown factors that could contribute to the relationship. In this case, the majority of adults have Herpes Simplex Type 1 virus. At the same time, the majority of adults do not develop Alzheimer\u2019s disease. Alzheimer\u2019s is a complicated disease, and researchers have yet to determine a specific cause. Most likely, Alzheimer\u2019s is the result of multiple genetic and environmental factors, and finding out more about what those might be is a large focus of current research.<\/p>\n

Q. As far as preventing or treating Alzheimer\u2019s, are there any new medications on the horizon that are promising?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> Because Alzheimer\u2019s currently affects five million Americans and that number is growing by the day, research looking at prevention and treatment is very active. There are many research projects going on nationwide looking at different stages of the disease, and I would encourage people to visit the Alzheimer\u2019s Association website (www.alz.org<\/a>) to find out more about getting involved. That said, there are several medications on the market right now that have demonstrated some benefit in slowing down the progression of Alzheimer\u2019s, and I frequently prescribe these. As always, I would recommend discussing risks and benefits of treatment with one\u2019s doctor.<\/p>\n

Q. So much focus is on the dementia patient \u2013 what about the loved ones caring for them? What support services are available for them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> Caregiver burnout is an epidemic in this country. Women comprise more than 60 percent of caregivers of Alzheimer\u2019s patients, and many are in the \u201csandwich\u201d generation \u2013 caring for their ailing parents as well as their own children, in addition to juggling work and other responsibilities. Many caregivers have to give up their own jobs in order to provide unpaid care to their loved one. Caregiving is both physically and emotionally stressful. There are many resources available. I most frequently recommend the Alzheimer\u2019s Association website for caregivers (www.alz.org\/care<\/a>), where people can find a tremendous variety of resources, including a 24-hour helpline and information about support groups in their area.<\/p>\n

Zdanys sees patients with Alzheimer\u2019s disease and other related conditions as part of the multidisciplinary James EC Walker Memory Assessment Program<\/a> at UConn Health. Appointments and referrals can be made by calling 860-679-8400.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UConn Health geriatric psychiatrist Kristina Zdanys clears up some misconceptions about the most common form of dementia. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":98776,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2231,179],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[45],"class_list":["post-98570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-well-being","category-uconn-health"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-24 05:39:10","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98570","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98570"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98570\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98866,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98570\/revisions\/98866"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/98776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98570"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=98570"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=98570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}