Alzheimer's disease

noun

Alz·​hei·​mer's disease ˈälts-ˌhī-mərz- How to pronounce Alzheimer's disease (audio) ˈalts- How to pronounce Alzheimer's disease (audio) ˈȯlts- How to pronounce Alzheimer's disease (audio)
variants or less commonly Alzheimer disease
ˈälts-ˌhī-mər- How to pronounce Alzheimer's disease (audio)
ˈalts-,
ˈȯlts-
or Alzheimer's
: a degenerative brain disease of unknown cause that is the most common form of dementia, that usually starts in late middle age or in old age, that results in progressive memory loss, impaired thinking, disorientation, and changes in personality and mood, and that is marked histologically by the degeneration of brain neurons especially in the cerebral cortex and by the presence of neurofibrillary tangles and plaques containing beta-amyloid
Behavioral problems, such as mood swings and agitation, may also be a part of the progression of Alzheimer's disease.Allan Perel
… the ability to differentiate normal aging-related memory changes from the impairments associated with dementia, including Alzheimer diseaseC. Munro Cullum
… researchers in California have created mice carrying the gene for beta-amyloid protein, the principal component of the plaques riddling the brains of people with Alzheimer's.Charlene Crabb

Note: Alzheimer's is often used before another noun.

Alzheimer's patients
abbreviation AD

Examples of Alzheimer's disease in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And the extent to which these shifts will influence the epidemiology of dementia and Alzheimer's disease is also not clear. Ziyad Al-Aly, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024 Of these, 1,417 people eventually developed Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia or dementia from any cause. Fox News, 12 Feb. 2024 That's right: The new study shows that picking your nose could potentially increase your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Katie Wiseman, The Courier-Journal, 7 Feb. 2024 Adele suffered from Alzheimer's disease in her later years. USA TODAY, 1 Feb. 2024 Apart from eye diseases, retinal imaging can also be used as a diagnostic tool for Alzheimer's disease. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024 But improving your cardiovascular fitness and diet during your 20s and 30s supports your long-term health, Carolyn Fredericks, MD, a neurologist specializing in Alzheimer's disease at Yale Medicine (who was not involved in the 2019 study), told Health. Leah Groth, Health, 9 Feb. 2024 The Mayo Clinic estimates that 6.5 million people in the United States age 65 and older have Alzheimer's disease, with more than 70% of those patients being 75 years old and older. Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 8 Feb. 2024 The cause of death was not immediately revealed, but Springsteen said in 2021 that his mother had been struggling with Alzheimer's disease for a decade and could no longer speak or stand. CBS News, 1 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Alzheimer's disease.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Alois Alzheimer †1915 German physician

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Alzheimer's disease was in 1911

Dictionary Entries Near Alzheimer's disease

Cite this Entry

“Alzheimer's disease.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Alzheimer%27s%20disease. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Alzheimer's disease

noun
Alz·​hei·​mer's disease ˈälts-ˌhī-mərz How to pronounce Alzheimer's disease (audio) ˈalts- How to pronounce Alzheimer's disease (audio)
: a brain disease of later life that is characterized by changes in brain tissue with gradual loss of memory and mental abilities

called also Alzheimer's

Medical Definition

Alzheimer's disease

noun
Alz·​hei·​mer's disease ˈälts-ˌhī-mərz- How to pronounce Alzheimer's disease (audio) ˈȯlts- How to pronounce Alzheimer's disease (audio) ˈalts- How to pronounce Alzheimer's disease (audio) ˈalz- How to pronounce Alzheimer's disease (audio)
variants also Alzheimer disease or Alzheimer's
: a degenerative brain disease of unknown cause that is the most common form of dementia, that usually starts in late middle age or in old age, that results in progressive memory loss, impaired thinking, disorientation, and changes in personality and mood, that leads in advanced cases to a profound decline in cognitive and physical functioning, and that is marked histologically by the degeneration of brain neurons especially in the cerebral cortex and by the presence of neurofibrillary tangles and plaques containing beta-amyloid
Behavioral problems, such as mood swings and agitation, may also be a part of the progression of Alzheimer's disease.Allan Perel, The Staten Island (New York) Advance
Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, affecting more than 15 million individuals worldwide.Niklas Mattsson et al., The Journal of the American Medical Association
… researchers in California have created mice carrying the gene for beta-amyloid protein, the principal component of the plaques riddling the brains of people with Alzheimer's.Charlene Crabb, U.S. News & World Report
abbreviation AD

More from Merriam-Webster on Alzheimer's disease

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