Similar symptoms can also result from fatigue, grief, depression, illness, vision or hearing loss, the use of alcohol or certain medications, or simply the burden of too many details to remember at once. There is no cure for AD and no way to slow the progression of the disease. For some people in the early or middle stages of the disease, medication such as tacrine may alleviate some cognitive symptoms. Also, some medications may help control behavioral symptoms such as sleeplessness, agitation, wandering, anxiety, and depression. These treatments are aimed at making the patient more comfortable.
AD is a progressive disease.
The course of the disease varies from person to person. Some people have the disease only for the last 5 years of life, while others may have it for as many as 20 years. The most common cause of death in AD patients is infection. For example, although the cause of AD is still unknown, new research has shown that a vaccine, aimed at preventing or reversing the formation of AD-associated pathologic lesions, might be a useful therapy. Early clinical trials to test the vaccine are still in progress but offer hope for a future therapy.