簡介 OVERVIEW

阿茲海默症 (AD) 是一種神經退行性疾病，其特點是逐漸喪失記憶以及其他認知功能，是最常見的導致老年失智症的原因之一。阿茲海默症約佔所有老年失智症人口中的六成。於六十五歲以上老人人口中約有6-10%患有此病，也就是說在台灣約有十萬個老人患有阿茲海默症。平均從出現症狀到養老院安置約5至7年的時間。目前診斷標準一般是基於臨床表現和個案病史，但由於缺乏可靠的非侵入性的生物標誌物，一般很難正確的診斷阿茲海默症。

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive decline in memory and other aspect of cognition and is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. The average duration from onset of symptoms to nursing home placement is about 5 to 7 years.  Accurate diagnosis of AD is sometimes difficult due to lack of reliable non-invasive biomarkers, although the diagnostic criteria have been proposed based on clinical presentation and history.