|Classification and external resources| Comparison of a normal
aged brain (left) and the brain of a person with Alzheimer's
(right). Differential characteristics are pointed out.
Alzheimer's disease (AD), also known in medical literature as
Alzheimer disease, is the most common form of dementia. There is
no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and
eventually leads to death. It was first described by German
psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906 and
was named after him. Most often, AD is diagnosed in people over
65 years of age, although the less-prevalent early-onset
Alzheimer's can occur much earlier. In 2006, there were 26.6
million sufferers worldwide. Alzheimer's is predicted to affect
1 in 85 people globally by 2050. Although Alzheimer's disease
develops differently for every individual, there are many common
symptoms. Early symptoms are often mistakenly thought to be
'age-related' concerns, or manifestations of stress. In the
early stages, the most common symptom is d