Throughout this line of study, Alzheimer’s disease is a specific form of dementia. According to Alzheimer’s Association, dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability that is severe enough to hinder daily life. Memory loss is a symptom of dementia and the most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s. One of the most common and severe symptom of Alzheimer’s is difficulty remembering newly learned information. The changes of Alzheimer’s normally begin in the part of the brain that affects learning (Overview Alzheimer's Association). Some other symptoms of Alzheimer’s include gradual memory loss, the decline in capability to carry out everyday tasks and the loss of their language skills. According to Bialystok the rate of
Alzheimer 's disease (AD) is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain from which there is no recovery. There are three brain abnormalities that are the hallmarks of the Alzheimer’s disease is initially caused by plaques buildup in the brain’s neurons as illustrated in figure 1. The support structure that allows the flow of the nutrients through the neurons gets damaged and ultimately there is loss of connection among the neurons and they die off (National Institute of Health, 2015). This causes the brain tissue to shrinks, which is called atrophies. All this ultimately lead the victim of this disease to face difficulties in governing emotions, recognize errors and patterns, coordinate movement, and remember. Ultimately, a person with AD loses all memory and mental functioning.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive and fatal form of dementia, frequently seen in the elderly altering their cognition, thought process and behavior. AD is reported in about half of patients that have a dementia diagnosis; one study states that about 10.3% of the population over 65 years is affected by dementia with an increase to almost 50% over the age of 8 (Beattie, 2002). Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of the aging process in humans, but rather found in a group of diseases that affect the brain leading to a decline in mental and physical control. AD when diagnosed has a very slow and gradual course, initially affecting the individual’s short term memory (Beattie, 2002). Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death, affecting more than five million people in the United States and is also one of the most common forms of dementia. Dementia can be defined as a disorder of progressive cognitive impairment severe enough to affect daily functions of an individual’s life (Fillit, et al., 2002).
A brain deteriorates, slowly being engulfed by a mysterious disease. The neurons being cut off and destroyed by two abnormal structures. First memory is affected gradually getting worse. Then one is unable to think properly, reason, and lacks of self control. Gaps are formed in the brain 's ventricles, due to the amount of dead tissue. In the end, it will lead to death. All of this may sound like something from a science fiction movie but infact its very real. These are all known possible symptoms of a common disease that affects about millions of Americans. It is known as Alzheimer 's disease (AD), and I plan on explaining it a bit more in this paper. First I will explain the disease and list some facts about it,then I will talk about some commonly asked questions about it.
Throughout history there have been reports of decreased memory and mental deterioration that accompanied old age. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer who described the symptoms in a woman in Germany in the 1907 but it was not until the 1970’s that AD was considered to be a major disorder and AD continues to be a major health concern worldwide (Reger, 2002).
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a form of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. AD typically involves the development of a progressive neuropsychiatric disorder that is characterized by gradual memory impairment, loss of acquired skills and emotional disturbances (Lee, Y. J., Han, S. B., Nam, S. Y., Oh, K. W., & Hong, J. T.). Every 67 seconds an individual in the United States develops AD. AD is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. There are 5.3 million Americans diagnosed with AD (Latest Alzheimer's Facts and Figures). AD is one of the few degenerative diseases that cannot be prevented, stopped, or cured (Latest Alzheimer's Facts and Figures). Post-mortem examination of the brain of AD patients usually
“What is Alzheimer’s disease (AD)?” Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia that affects an individual’s memory, cognition, and behavior disturbances that ultimately diminishes their quality of life.1-2 Dementia is not a specific disease it is a general term for a variety of symptoms that affect memory and intellectual thinking that causes difficulty in our tasks of daily living.(5) The confusion between these two terms is extraordinary. It’s helpful to think of dementia as the symptom and to think of AD as the cause of that symptom. Although, there are many causes of dementia for the purpose of this paper, Alzheimer’s will be the only one discussed.
Alzheimer’s slowly destroys memory, thinking skills, and the ability to carry out simple daily tasks
Alzheimer Disease, the most common form of dementia (to a group of symptoms affecting the brain), is a neurological disorder affecting an individual’s memory, thinking skills, and ability to conduct simply everyday tasks. Alzheimer Disease is irreversible, and no cure has been established. Dr. Alois Alzheimer-the individual in which the disease is named after-detected Alzheimer in 1906 from a woman with abnormal clumps and tangled neurofibrillary (Castellani 2010). These characteristics of the brain are now directly associated with Alzheimer Disease. There are essentially two forms of the disease. Both experience the same symptoms, but one is early onset and the second is late onset. In early onset Alzheimer Disease, symptoms develop as early as 30 years of age. Late onset AD, the most common form, develops at sixty years of age and older. A family history of the disease does improve the individual’s probability of experiencing symptoms. The progression of this paper will consist of the medical changes caused by Alzheimer, how an individual can obtain it, and lastly prevention methods discovered throughout the years.
It takes almost 8.5 years between the onset of symptoms of the disease and death (Francis, Palmer, Snape et al., 1998). AD affects the hippocampus and the neocortex region of the brain. These are affected by the deposition of amyloid β in senile plaques, neurofibrilary tangles and the decline of neuronal synapses. The symptoms of AD includes memory loss resulting in disrupted daily life, confusion with place and time, problem with speaking and writing and many other.
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a form of dementia that affects 5 million people in the United States alone. One out of every three Seniors die of the disease just in the United States; 80 million suffering world wide making AD the 6th largest cause of death (climax) (Humpel 1; Alzheimer’s Association). AD is the most common dementia; affecting the neuroplasticity of the brain resulting in physical shrinking of the tissues; thus causing neurodegeneration. Diagnosis of the disease is complex, costly and risky. (tricolon) Behaviors are categorized and most commonly constructed in a list of stages. Treatments have been unsuccessful in curing the disease. Ramon y Cajal proclaimed in 1928 that “once development has ended, the founts of growth and regeneration of the axons and dendrites dried up irrevocably. In the adult centers the nerve paths are soothing fixed, ended and immutable. Everything must die, nothing may be regenerated. It is for the science of the future to change, if possible, this harsh decree” (Teter 402).
Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time. Alzheimer 's is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss. Alzheimer 's disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. Alzheimer’s disease attacks the brain’s nerve cells causing memory loss. Alzheimer’s is one of the top leading causes of death in the United States.
As an individual grows older there are many signs of aging, which occur. There are common areas of decline in cognition such as some loss of hearing, vision, and working memory that are considered part of the normal aging process. When these symptoms start to worsen and vastly impair everyday tasks, the consideration of a form of dementia is brought forward. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a brain disease, is the most common type of dementia, and affects majority of people 60 years or older (1,14). It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, which only continues to worsen over time. Each individual is affected differently with symptoms and the progression. As of right now there is no cure for it (14).
It is said that memory declines as people age, and this can be just a natural part of life. However, in many cases as people grow older, they develop a mental disorder known as Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is a disease that causes problems with memory, thinking, and overall behavior, and progressively becomes a bigger problem. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia and is a very common disease in people over the age of 65. This terminal disease puts tremendous stress on the victim and the victim’s family. A cure for Alzheimer’s has yet to be discovered; however, through healthy and constant use of the brain and the aid of certain drug treatments, Alzheimer’s disease can be both naturally and medically prevented.
Alzheimer’s disease can be divided into 7 stages. In each stage, the patient exhibits different symptoms. The spreading of amyloid plagues and neurofibrillary tangles are responsible for the different stages. In stage 1, the patient doesn’t show any kind of deficits. In stage 2, the patient starts to have minor memory problems, such as misplacing an object or forgetting names. This could be mistaken for normal-age related problems. Memory related problems are the first symptom to appear, because the entorhinal cortex and the hippocampus are the first area affected by amyloid plagues. The entorhinal cortex and the hippocampus are located in the medial temporal lobe. These area of the brain are responsible for learning and forming new memories