1) The number of people 65
and older in the United States in 2004 is approximately 35 million.
By 2050, the number is expected to be:
a) 50 million b) 70 million
c) 100 million d) No change
b) 70 million
2) There are now (2004) approximately how many
cases of Alzheimer's disease in the United States?
a) 1 million b) 3.3 million
c) 4.5 million d) 6.7 million
c) 4.5 million
3) How many cases are predicted
to exist in 2050, if current trends continue?
a) 5.2 million b) 7.5 million
c) 9.6 million d) 13.5 million
d) 13.5 million
4) Approximately what proportion
of people 85 and older have Alzheimer's disease or some other type
of dementia?
a) 5% b) 10%
c) 35% d) 50%
d) 50%
5) What is the estimated annual
cost of caring for a patient with intermediate stage Alzheimer's
disease?
a) $10,000 b) $23,000
c) $30,000 d) $36,000
c) $30,000. For early stage, the estimated cost is $18,408.
For late stage, it is $36,132.
6) True or False: Slightly
more than half of Alzheimer's sufferers receive care at home.
True
7) True or False: The
average survival of a patient with Alzheimer's disease is 12-14
years.
False. The average survival is 8-10 years, but some patients
live as long as 20 years.
8) Which of the following is
NOT beneficial for treating the cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's
disease?
a) Vitamin E.
b) Cholinesterase inhibitor drugs like Aricept, Exelon and Reminyl.
c) Memantine (trade name Namenda).
d) None of the above.
d) None of the above. All of these can be beneficial.
9) Which of the following
are considered behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, rather
than cognitive symptoms?
a) Wandering, agitation, depression, sleep disturbance, hallucinations.
b) Memory loss, inability to perform simple tasks, disorientation
to place and time.
c) Inability to recognize friends or family members, getting lost
in familiar places, neglecting to bathe.
a) Wandering, agitation, depression, sleep disturbance,
hallucinations. Symptoms listed under (b) and (c) are all cognitive
symptoms seen in early to intermediate stage disease.
10) Which of the following
is NOT true about the treatment of Alzheimer's disease?
a) Treatment is most beneficial if started early in the course of
the disease.
b) Present treatment improves symptoms and functional status but
does not slow or arrest brain tissue loss.
c) Medications commonly used to treat Alzheimer's disease are often
poorly tolerated due to side effects.
d) Delayed institutionalization, improved memory, functional status
preservation and improvement of behavioral symptoms are all reasonable
expectations of treatment.
c) Medications commonly used to treat Alzheimer's disease are often
poorly tolerated due to side effects (c). In fact, the major drug
treatments (cholinesterase inhibitors like Aricept) are usually
well tolerated and safe. The commonest side effects are nausea and
diarrhea.
11) True or false: most
cases of Alzheimer's disease are familial, i.e. they run in families.
False. All cases of Alzheimer's disease occurring in the
elderly are "sporadic": i.e., they may be partly influenced
by genetic factors but are not inherited. Among the relatively small
proportion of cases arising in younger people, about half are familial. |
