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

The mild cognitive impairment that Poulsen was diagnosed with in 2019 progressed to Alzheimer’s disease.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

This was a landmark moment as it was the first time any drug had slowed the destruction of the brain in Alzheimer's disease.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

After accounting for factors like age, sex, and education, higher lifetime enrichment was linked to a 38% lower risk of Alzheimer's disease and a 36% lower risk of mild cognitive impairment.

From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 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

I sit at a computer and look up everything I can find about Alzheimer’s disease.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina