Alzheimer disease update

Abstract

Alzheimer disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting more than 37 million people worldwide and increasing in incidence based on its primary risk factor, advancing age. A growing body of knowledge regarding amyloid and tau neuropathology, genetic and environmental risk modifiers, early and atypical clinical presentations, and the use of symptom-modifying medical and psychosocial therapies is available to aid in the diagnosis and management of patients with AD. Exciting recent advances in neurobiology render the areas of genetic susceptibility, biomarkers for early disease detection and assessment of disease progression, and novel therapeutic strategies to modify the natural history of the disease compelling, but in need of further study before implementation into routine clinical practice is feasible.