The primary care of Alzheimer disease

Alzheimer disease is the most common cause of progressive irreversible intellectual loss in aging humans. The number of individuals and families affected by this disorder will continue to grow as society ages worldwide. Our understanding of the biology, underlying pathophysiology, and diagnosis of Alzheimer disease has greatly expanded over the past few years and much has been published in these areas. This review focuses on the primary care of this disorder and addresses the "now what" question. Topics examined include limiting excess disability, responding to commonly raised questions of family members, pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapeutic options, long-term planning, and caregiver issues.