Dementias Conditioned by Degenerative Diseases and Pharmacotherapeutic Possibilities in Alzheimer's Disease

Overview

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most frequent cause of dementia of elderly and old people. In a brief review the authors discuss the causes of development of AD and other degenerative diseases of the CNS (Creutzfeldt-Jakob's disease, Huntington's disease etc.). As also in the Czech Republic recently bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was detected which can be transferred to man, the authors discuss the mechanisms of the development of infections Conditioned by prions.On the example of AD the authors discuss the symptoms of dementias and explain why dementias associated with degenerative diseases of the CNS progress and are incurable. This does not imply, however, tkat there is no treatment available for affected subjects. In addition to nursing care it is possible to provide treatment focused on the basic manifestations of dementias as well as on associated behavioural disorders of patients. This is treatment which improves the patients' quality of life and facilitates the work of the family and nursing staff (administration of anxiolytics, antidepressants, suppressing of aggressiveness and wandering about etc. For treatment proper for dementias and their cognitive disorders drugs belonging roto three basic groups are used: 1. Substances increasing the activity of the cholinergic system in the CNS improve memory for a certain time as well as other cognitive functions, but are only symptomatic drugs. 2. The second therapeutic procedure is administration of drugs which retard degenerative processes in dementias; there are given scavengers of free radicals as well as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory substances, oestrogens and other substances with not yet quite elucidated mechanisms of action. 3. The last group of substances is rather of perspective importance, the objective being to reduce new or already formed deposits in cerebral tissue.

Key words:
Alzheimer's disease - Huntington's disease - Creutzfeldt-Jakobs' disease - bovine spongiform encephalopathy - prions.