Alzheimer's disease

This article reviews the clinical and neuropathological features of Alzheim er's disease, its known genetic and non-genetic risk factors, procedures us ed to make the diagnosis and rule out other reversible and non-reversible f orms of dementia, and the treatment strategies used to help patients and th eir families cope with the problem. In addition, it considers how neuroimag ing techniques promise to characterize the brain changes which precede the onset of cognitive impairment in persons at risk for Alzheimer's disease an d identify treatments to prevent the onset of dementia. (C) 1999 Elsevier S cience Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.