杰茜卡·圖默　高新媛/譯

Alzheimers can be a terrifying diagnosis for families， especially when the causes of the disease and the effective ways to treat it remain a mystery to the medical community. Caregivers looking for answers are often forced to sift through tons of misinformation related to the disease to better understand it and how to care for their loved ones.

對(duì)家庭來(lái)說(shuō)，有成員被診斷患上阿爾茨海默病可能是件可怕的事，特別是該病的病因和有效治療方法仍然是醫(yī)學(xué)界的未解之謎。尋求答案的護(hù)理人員常常不得不篩除與該病相關(guān)的大量錯(cuò)誤信息，以更好地了解此病，了解如何照顧他們關(guān)愛(ài)的人。

From what causes Alzheimers to the foods that can prevent it， how genetics plays a role， and whether it can be treated， here are a few common beliefs about Alzheimers that need to be busted.

從阿爾茨海默病的成因到可以預(yù)防此病的食物、遺傳學(xué)如何發(fā)揮作用，以及該病能否治愈，有些關(guān)于阿爾茨海默病的常見(jiàn)誤解需要破除，詳情如下。

Myth： Alzheimers and Dementia are two separate illnesses.

誤解：阿爾茨海默病和癡呆是兩種相互獨(dú)立的疾病。

Fact： When we talk about degenerative illnesses like Alzheimers and dementia， theres the tendency to treat them as two separate illnesses or to use the words interchangeably. Alzheimers and dementia are part of the same family—they both affect the brain in similar ways—but theyre distinct in their differences.

事實(shí)：當(dāng)人們談?wù)撓癜柎暮Ｄ『桶V呆這樣的退行性疾病時(shí)，往往將它們當(dāng)作兩種獨(dú)立的疾病或?qū)⑦@兩個(gè)詞互換使用。阿爾茨海默病和癡呆同源——它們都以類(lèi)似的方式影響大腦——但差異明顯。

Dementia is a group of symptoms， but just calling something dementia doesnt speak to the cause. There are a number of disease processes that can cause dementia. In other words， while Alzheimers is a form of dementia and therefore not a separate illness， the two terms shouldnt be swapped in for each other. Just because someone has dementia， it doesnt necessarily mean they have Alzheimers.

癡呆是一組癥狀，但僅僅稱(chēng)其為癡呆并不能解釋其成因。許多疾病在發(fā)展過(guò)程中可能導(dǎo)致癡呆。換言之，雖然阿爾茨海默病是癡呆的一種而非不同的疾病，但這兩個(gè)術(shù)語(yǔ)不應(yīng)該互換使用。某人患有癡呆，并不一定意味著就患上了阿爾茨海默病。

Myth： Memory loss is always a sign of Alzheimers.

誤解：記憶喪失就標(biāo)志著患上阿爾茨海默病。

Fact： Recognizing the signs of Alzheimers can be tricky， but theres no reason that misplacing your car keys or forgetting a doctors appointment should send you into a panic. A certain amount of memory loss is a normal part of aging and most of the time， Alzheimers-related memory loss is easier to recognize.

事實(shí)：阿爾茨海默病的征兆可能難以識(shí)別，但你沒(méi)理由因?yàn)榘衍?chē)鑰匙放錯(cuò)地方或忘記醫(yī)生預(yù)約就陷入恐慌。一定程度的記憶喪失是衰老的正常表現(xiàn)，而多數(shù)情況下，與阿爾茨海默病有關(guān)的記憶喪失更容易識(shí)別。

Alzheimers always includes memory loss， but memory loss isnt always the first sign. Oftentimes it is. Oftentimes， early on， people notice significant changes， especially in their short-term memory because the part of the brain that seems to be impacted first is the center of new memory and new learning.

阿爾茨海默病常常包括記憶喪失，但記憶喪失并不總是第一個(gè)出現(xiàn)的征兆。不過(guò)通常如此。通常在早期，人們會(huì)注意到明顯的變化，尤其是短期記憶的變化，因?yàn)榇竽X中首先受到影響的部分似乎是新近記憶和學(xué)習(xí)的中心。

So， if youre having trouble learning new skills， remembering what day of the week or month of the year it is， then there may be a bigger issue.

因此，如果你在學(xué)習(xí)新技能時(shí)遇到困難，記不起現(xiàn)在是周幾或哪個(gè)月份，那問(wèn)題可能就比較大了。

Myth： Alzheimers only affects the elderly.

誤解：阿爾茨海默病只影響老年人。

Fact： The older we get， the scarier an Alzheimers diagnosis can become. Thats because， of the 5.7 million Americans currently suffering with the illness， 5.5 million are 65 and older. But the disease doesnt just affect the elderly.

事實(shí)：年齡越大，確診患上阿爾茨海默病可能就越可怕。這是因?yàn)椋谀壳盎加羞@種疾病的570萬(wàn)美國(guó)人中，有550萬(wàn)人年齡是65歲及以上。然而，這種疾病并不僅僅影響老年人。

There are 200，000 people that we put in a category we call ‘younger onset. These people get the onset of symptoms in their 40s， 50s， and early 60s. Its rare， but it can happen.

有20萬(wàn)人被歸為所謂“年輕發(fā)病者”。這些人在40多歲、50多歲和60歲出頭就開(kāi)始出現(xiàn)癥狀。這很罕見(jiàn)，但有可能發(fā)生。

Myth： Certain lifestyle changes can protect you from Alzheimers.

誤解：生活方式的某些改變可以避免患上阿爾茨海默病。

Fact： Just like the people who believe certain factors can cause Alzheimers， there are people who think specific lifestyle changes can protect you from the disease. Theyre not completely wrong. While certain vitamins and foods like blueberries， red onions， and even marmite wont prevent an Alzheimers diagnosis， a healthy and active lifestyle can improve your chances of avoiding the disease.

事實(shí)：就像認(rèn)為某些因素會(huì)導(dǎo)致阿爾茨海默病的那些人一樣，也有人認(rèn)為改變特定的生活方式可以避免患病。他們并非完全錯(cuò)誤。雖然某些維生素和諸如藍(lán)莓、紅洋蔥甚至馬麥醬等食物對(duì)阿爾茨海默病沒(méi)有預(yù)防作用，但健康和積極的生活方式還是可以降低患病幾率。

Out of the top 10 causes of death in the United States， Alzheimers is the one that has no known prevention， cure， or even treatment that slows it down. But that said， theres more and more evidence that there are lifestyle things we can do to give our brains the best chance of healthy aging.

阿爾茨海默病位列美國(guó)十大死因，其中只有該病沒(méi)有已知的預(yù)防、治愈甚或延緩病情發(fā)展的治療手段。話雖如此，有越來(lái)越多的證據(jù)表明，我們可以通過(guò)一些良好的生活方式為大腦提供健康衰老的最佳機(jī)會(huì)。

Things like eating a balanced diet full of healthy food like fruits and veggies， being physically active， and keeping your brain healthy as well.

諸如：采取富含水果和蔬菜等健康食品的均衡飲食，積極參加體育鍛煉，以及保持大腦健康。

Participating in social activities may lower the risk for some health problems and improve well-being. Being cognitively active， whether its learning a new skill， language， or musical instrument; doing the crossword or other brain puzzles; or just enjoying a favorite hobby， may also benefit your brain.

參加社會(huì)活動(dòng)可以降低一些健康問(wèn)題的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)并提高幸福感。積極參與認(rèn)知活動(dòng)，學(xué)習(xí)新的技能、語(yǔ)言或樂(lè)器都可以；做填字游戲或其他腦力游戲；或只是享受最喜歡的愛(ài)好，這些也對(duì)大腦有益。

Myth： Alzheimers runs in my family， so Ill have it too.

誤解：阿爾茨海默病是我的家族遺傳病，所以我也會(huì)得。

Fact： If a relative or immediate family member has Alzheimers， its understandable that you might be worried about your own chances for contracting the disease， but genetics arent the sole determining factor when it comes to the degenerative illness.

事實(shí)：如果有親戚或直系親屬患有阿爾茨海默病，你可能會(huì)擔(dān)心自己發(fā)病的幾率，這可以理解，但涉及這種退行性疾病時(shí)，遺傳并不是唯一的決定因素。

Genetics for most of us are risk factors. So， think of it like heart disease. If you have family members with heart disease or certain types of cancers， your doctor may tell you that you have a higher risk for those things. It doesnt mean youre going to get them， but its something to look out for a little bit more. So those of us who have direct family members with Alzheimers disease do have a greater risk factor， but it doesnt mean were going to get Alzheimers.

對(duì)我們大多數(shù)人來(lái)說(shuō)，遺傳是風(fēng)險(xiǎn)因素。因此，不妨把它假想成心臟病。如果有家人患有心臟病或某些類(lèi)型的癌癥，你的醫(yī)生可能會(huì)告訴你，你罹患這些疾病的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)更高。這并不意味著你肯定會(huì)患病，但確實(shí)需要多加注意。所以，直系親屬患有阿爾茨海默病的那些人確實(shí)患病風(fēng)險(xiǎn)更大，但這并不意味著就會(huì)得上阿爾茨海默病。

Myth： Alzheimers can be treated and eventually cured.

誤解：阿爾茨海默病可以治療并最終治愈。

Fact： Unfortunately， while there are drugs that help alleviate symptoms associated with Alzheimers， we havent found a cure to the disease， or even a way of slowing it down， yet.

事實(shí)：不幸的是，雖然有藥物可以幫助緩解與阿爾茨海默病相關(guān)的癥狀，但我們還沒(méi)有找到治愈這種疾病的方法，連延緩病情發(fā)展的方法都沒(méi)有找到。

There are no drugs currently that can slow down the pathology， the damage thats happening in the brain， but there are drugs that can help the brain have access to chemicals that make making connections easier. These medications help people with their quality of life， but they dont stop the disease progression. They dont cure anything.

目前沒(méi)有任何藥物可以減緩病理變化——即大腦正遭受的損害——但有一些藥物可以幫助大腦獲得讓建立連接更容易的化學(xué)物質(zhì)。這些藥物可幫助人們提高生活質(zhì)量，但并不能阻止疾病的惡化。它們解決不了什么問(wèn)題。

（譯者為“《英語(yǔ)世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎(jiǎng)?wù)撸?/p>