When in the fall of 1901 the German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer began the medical supervision of Mrs. Augusta Dieter, who at the age of 51 was complaining of memory loss, hallucinations, and disturbances in her personality, it was still early for him to realize that he was facing the symptoms of an unprecedented disease, which he would later describe as “a characteristically acute disease of the cerebral cortex” and which years after his death everyone would call in his honor by his name: Alzheimer’s disease.

However, it took at least a century for the medical community to gradually recognize the seriousness and distinctive characteristics of this disease, which is now the most common cause of dementia. What has impressed and also worried specialists in recent years is, on one hand, the inability to discover effective treatment and, on the other hand, the alarmingly accelerating incidence of the disease worldwide: a new case is registered every three seconds, while according to estimates from the World Health Organization, we expect its incidence to triple by 2050.

However, beyond the medical questions seeking answers, Alzheimer’s disease also raises issues of social sensitivity and interest, as next to the patient suffering from dementia is the family member who has taken on the truly sensitive and painful role of their caregiver. This collective volume therefore attempts to delve into the various aspects of the complex and multifactorial problem of Alzheimer’s disease with scientifically responsible discourse.

It primarily addresses doctors, medical students, and health professionals, but it also interests the broader public, as it discusses not only the clinical dimension of the issue but also the corresponding social one, aiming to contribute to the awareness of everyone regarding the resources available in our country and globally for the care of patients and their families, through the operation of suitable service provision structures.

Finally, it emphasizes the hopeful prospect of finding a definitive treatment, which is promised both by the innovative research being conducted in the fields of disease diagnosis and prognosis, and by the newly emerging field of Precision Medicine with its groundbreaking approach to the problem.