Update on dementia of the Alzheimer type

An estimated three-quarters to one million Americans are in advanced stages of dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT), numbers that are certain to grow as the population of the United States ages. An explosion in research interest in DAT in the last ten years promises greater understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease and eventual development of effective treatment of characteristic intellectual deficits and behavioral symptoms. The search continues for the underlying cause or causes of the condition and a cure. This article reviews current information about the epidemiology, neuropathologic findings, diagnosis, and treatment of DAT and some of the most promising areas of research.