Alzheimer's disease

Aetiology : unknown (genetic and environmental)

Prevalence : age > 45 years old, according to the WHO, 35.6 million people have dementia worldwide and this number is expected to double by 2030

Genetic risk factor : 15% of hereditary cases

Main problem : Late diagnosis, can be mistaken with depression :

- difficulties to remember recent events

- incapacity to control a budget

- difficulties to keep up a conversation

- difficulties to understand visual images

- difficulties to achieve simple housework tasks

- repetition of the same stories over and over again

- change of mood, personality

Treatments :

Currently, the only treatments available are symptomatic and largely debated because of their

weak non durable effect. Furthermore, those few cognitive treatments present numerous side effects and drug interactions. That even explains the recent 2018 decision of the French government to stop reimburse those drugs.