Alzheimer's disease

American  

[ahlts-hahy-merz, alts-, awlts-] / ˈɑlts haɪ mərz, ˈælts-, ˈɔlts- /

Or Alzheimer disease

noun

Pathology.

1. a common form of dementia, believed to be caused by changes in the brain, usually beginning in late middle age, characterized by memory lapses, confusion, emotional instability, and progressive loss of mental ability.

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Alzheimer's disease British  

/ ˈæltsˌhaɪməz /

noun

1. Often shortened to: Alzheimer's.  a disorder of the brain resulting in a progressive decline in intellectual and physical abilities and eventual dementia

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Alzheimer's disease Scientific  

/ äls′hī-mərz /

1. A progressive, degenerative disease of the brain, commonly affecting the elderly, and associated with the development of amyloid plaques in the cerebral cortex. It is characterized by confusion, disorientation, memory failure, speech disturbances, and eventual dementia. The cause is unknown. Alzheimer's disease is named for its identifier, German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer (1864–1915).

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Alzheimer's disease Cultural  

1. A disease in which mental capacity decreases because of the breakdown of brain cells.

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Discover More

Alzheimer's disease is a major cause of loss of intellectual function in middle-aged and elderly people.

Etymology

Origin of Alzheimer's disease

Named after Alois Alzheimer (1864–1915), German neurologist, who described it in 1907

Example Sentences

In the brain, for example, microglia, which are the macrophages of the central nervous system, may become senescent in conditions like Alzheimer's disease as they encounter large amounts of cellular debris.

From Science Daily • Apr. 16, 2026

Overall, they concluded the approach does slow Alzheimer's disease, but not by enough to make a meaningful difference to patients.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

The New York Times raved about the darkly comic novel, “startling in its spare beauty,” and the quarter-life crisis treatment of a parent’s Alzheimer’s disease.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

When disease-causing bacteria enter the bloodstream, they may play a role in serious conditions such as diabetes, rheumatic disease, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, chronic inflammatory bowel disease, and even Alzheimer's disease.

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026

She was just beginning her long struggle with Alzheimer's disease, and each time I entered the room, I felt the need to reintroduce myself and set her at ease.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris