Alzheimer 's Disease ( Ad ) Essay

Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, accounting for 65–70% of all cases (Jellinger, Janetzky, Attems, & Kienzl, 2008). The other dementias are of the Parkinson 's group, the fronto-temporal group and the vascular group. The total worldwide yearly costs for the treatment and care of patients suffering from dementia are estimated to be around 250 billion US dollars. The lifetime risk for AD between the ages of 65 and 100 is 33% for men and 45% for women with an annual increase of 1–2% in the seventh decade to almost 60% in the 10th decade with doubling every 5 years (Jellinger et al., 2008). AD is incurable, and thus represents a major public health problem. AD represents a challenge to humanity due to its relatively recent discovery, progressive nature of the illness, and complex diagnosis.

Alzheimer’s disease is a common problem in today’s society and within the older population this disease makes up the largest form of dementia. Although it is a problem in mainly older people, this disease can still occur in the younger population also. People in their 30s-50s can be diagnosed with this disease, even though it is not as common as people in their 60s-90s. The number of people with Alzheimer’s in the U.S. is close to five million and is expected to double within the next 30 years. With our modern medicine and advancements one would think a cure would be available, however, getting to the cause of the disease is a major factor. The cause of Alzheimer’s disease is one that is very debatable and questionable and most likely is a result of multiple factors rather than one. The main issue with finding the cause is because this disease affects the brain and can

Alzheimer’s Disease is a disease of the future. With the growing aged population, this disease, which affects primarily the elderly, will become of increasing relevance to the medical profession. Also, the high frequency of Alzheimer’s, and the high cost in labor, money, and material of caring for its victims shall put considerable burden on the society as a whole. Here, however, these issues are not going to be debated. Instead the pathology of Alzheimer’s will be reviewed to the extent it is known today.

Alzheimer’s Disease is an irreversible, genetically linked illness. This disease was chosen for the topic of this essay under the consideration that in many families the illness can be incredibly tragic, passing down for generations without mercy. It is not rare to encounter families in which each member is afflicted with a form, mild or severe, of Alzheimer’s. The disease is a progressive brain disease which comes in two separate types: Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease and Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. These will be discussed in full later on in the paper.

get it, but most cases are the only ones in a family. Some patients who develop

In the United States there are approximately 5.4 million people living with Alzheimer’s. Every sixty-nine seconds a person is diagnosed. This is an ongoing issue, and unless something is done, sixteen million people will be affected by 2050 (Latest).

With the growing number of people becoming diagnosed, and experiencing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, we must begin to take precautions and somehow attempt to gain knowledge of how the disease can be better treated, and ultimately prevented.

Alzheimer’s disease, first described in 1907, is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States (Ramachandran, 2016). This disease gets worse gradually over time. People, predominantly women, are expected to live approximately eight to ten years after diagnosed (Bird, 2015). According to the Alzheimer’s Disease Association, there are approximately three million cases in the United States each and every year alone (Association®, 2016). People with Alzheimer’s disease suffer from a wide range of difficult incurable problems. Alzheimer’s disease is believed to prevent correct workflow of the 100 billion nerve cells in the human brain. Oxygen sluggishly being supplied to the brain causes several Alzheimer indicators to occur; memory loss, behavior changes, slurred speech, poor judgment, and hallucinations. According to Bird, 95% of patients with Alzheimer’s are over the age of sixty-five (Bird, 2015). At the age of sixty-five individuals brain activity starts to slow causing build-ups.

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).

According to Mayo Clinic Staff, “Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions” (Mayo Clinic, 2014). Alzheimer’s disease is “the most common cause of dementia that results in the loss of intellectual and social skills (Mayo Clinic, 2014). “Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases” (Alzheimer’s Association). During “Alzheimer’s disease, the brain cells themselves degenerate and die, causing a steady decline in memory and mental function” (Mayo Clinic, 2014). “Alzheimer’s disease was first described a peculiar disease in 1906, by a German physician Dr. Alois Alzheimer” (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015). In 1910, “Emil Kraepelin, a German psychiatrist who worked

Alzheimer's Disease is a condition that affects 50% of the population over the age of eighty five, which equals four million Americans each year. It is becoming an important and high-profile issue in today's society for everyone. There are rapid advancements being made in the fight against this disease now more than ever, and the purpose of this essay is to educate the public on the background as well as the new discoveries. There are many new drugs that are being tested and studied every day which slow down, and may even halt the progress of the disease.

Although Alzheimer’s disease (henceforth: AD) has been around since the 19th century or possibly even earlier and was at a point in time classified as senile dementia, it wasn’t until 1906 following Dr. Alois Alzheimer’s encounter with Auguste Deter at a Frankfurt asylum that the name of the disease was finally coined. Since then, major developments relating to the disease has taken place. In our report, we addressed some of the areas of the history, contemporary and prospects of the disease.

Alzheimer’s disease (henceforth: AD) though has four approved drugs, yet still treatment remains ineffectual and as such continues to pose a great burden to families of affected individuals, societies as well as developed countries. The complexity of the pathogenesis of AD makes it difficult to ascertain its cause along with effective treatment.

Alzheimer is a disease that affects the elderly most. The disease was discovered by Dr. Alois Alzheimer in the year 1906 when he was examining a female’s brain. He found out that the woman displayed memory loss, language problems and some inexplicable changes in behavior. The disease was named after the doctor who was a German psychiatrist and a neuropathologist. Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disorder that leads to memory loss, personality changes, and language problems (Gilbert & Julie 2). The disease is mostly diagnosed in people over the age of 65 years, though there is a small minority of people under the age of 50 who get the disease. Studies show that 1% of a whole population aged between the ages 65-75 have severe

The purpose of this paper is to examine Alzheimer’s disease in various aspects. Alzheimer’s disease, which is classified as a type of dementia, is a chronic, irreversible, progressive brain disease that is the most common cause of dementia in older adults. In the United States alone, 26 million adults living in the United States, 15% of the population was 65 and older (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). The estimated prevalence of AD recorded in 2015 was 44 million people throughout the world and this number is only expected to grow (Mendiola-Precoma, Berumen, Padilla, & Alcocer, 2016). AD gradually destroys brain function that leads to cognitive decline, psychiatric disorders, and the inability to carry out daily living activities