Abstract:

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most frequent cause of dementia in the western world. In clinical terms, AD is characterized by progressive cognitive decline that usually begins with memory impairment. As the disease progresses, AD inevitably affects all intellectual functions including executive functions, leading to complete dependence for basic activities of daily life and premature death. Around 47 million people live with AD worldwide and the number of patients is estimated to surge to 130 million in 2050 if we don’t find a cure (Prince et al., 2015). By 2018 it will become a trillion-dollar disease and this economic cost inflicts a significant financial burden on individuals and families. In the US, out-of-pocket costs for families affected by Alzheimer’s account for more than $8,000 on average each year. It makes Alzheimer’s disease the most expensive illness for families during the last five years of life (Kelley et al., 2013). Unfortunately,there are no effective treatments against AD, although some drugs can alleviate the symptoms associated with it.