Humana Alzheimer’s Disease: A Physician’s Guide to Practical Management (Current Clinical Neurology)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating and dehumanizing illness affecting increasingly large numbers of elderly and even middle-aged persons in a worldwide epidemic. Alzheimer's Disease: A Physician's Guide to Practical Management was written by selected clinicians and scientists who represent some of the world's leading centers of excellence in AD research. The editors are proud and grateful for their profound contributions. This book is particularly designed to assist physicians and other health-care professionals in the evaluation, assessment, and treatment of individuals with AD. At the same time, by illuminating the basic scientific background, we hope to provide state-of-the art information about the disease and possible future therapeutic strategies. The recent psychiatric treatment aspects of AD are also clearly presented. Because the early diagnosis of the dementia process is now considered of increasing importance, we focus particularly in several chapters on early changes and preclinical conditions, such as mild cognitive impairment and predementia AD. Review "This is an easy-to-read and accessible book that presents an impressive amount of detail and information. It will appeal to physicians who want more background and detail as they approach their Alzheimer's patients, rather than just a simple "cookbook" recipe for treatment. Chapters on new and evolving treatments are well done and offer a glimpse of the future. Physicians who establish specialized clinics or units for the care of Alzheimer's patients will find this book especially useful."-Doody's Health Sciences Book Review Journal "...chapters on pathophysiology lucidly explain the evidence supporting the role of oxidative stress, as well as the roles and interrelationships of mutant amyloid precursor protein, presenilin, and tau...The section on clinical assessment provides many clinical pearls that can help the clinician recognize dementias often mistaken for Alzheimer disease." - Annals of Internal Medicine "...a mine of useful information that gives an honest cross-sectional view of our knowledge about dementia." - Institute for Ageing and Health From the Back Cover Alzheimer's disease (AD) is not only affecting increasingly large numbers of elderly and even middle-aged people in a worldwide epidemic, but also appears to be under-diagnosed and under-treated. In Alzheimer's Disease: A Physician's Guide to Practical Management, clinicians, scientists, and opinion leaders from all over the world provide a concise practical guide to the evaluation, assessment, and treatment of individuals with probable AD, illuminating the basic biology underlying the disease and outlining the many emerging therapeutic as well as promising preventive directions. On the clinical side, the authors focus on such issues as early changes and preclinical conditions-including mild cognitive impairment and predementia AD-how the patient presents, the state-of-the-art therapy, and the recent neuropsychiatric aspects of AD. Late-life issues are discussed, as well as the treatment of frequent comorbidities and the often-neglected dental care. On the practical side, guidance is offered to medical providers and caregivers on the deep feelings of isolation, loneliness, and despair that the illness can create in caregivers, and on how to overcome the consequent breakdown in communication with the patient. The authors also provide a comprehensible account of our current understanding of AD, as well as intriguing future strategies for its prevention and treatment, including stem cell therapy. Comprehensive and practical, Alzheimer's Disease: A Physician's Guide to Practical Management not only offers physicians, caregivers, and all interested lay people a readable future-oriented overview of the disease, but also bridges the gap between basic science and the everyday challenges of treating and managing AD patients.