Alzheimer's Case Studies

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 the 6th leading cause of death in America. It kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. Alzheimer’s accounts for 70-80% of dementia cases. By the age of 65, 1 in 9 people are diagnosed and by the age of 85, 1 in 3 people will have the disease. According to the Alzheimer Association, 5 million people in American have Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s starts to form 20 years prior to being diagnosed. Learning about Alzheimer’s can help families understand how Alzheimer’s is more than just memory loss, it is an incurable mental disease.

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).

Alzheimer’s disease is a prominent brain disease that effects a massive amount of individuals in the United States. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for 60-80% of dementia cases, with no chance of being cured, prevented or decelerating over time (Alzheimer’s Association, 2014). AD is the most well-known form of dementia, causing complications in brain function in the areas of memory, thinking, and behavior (Alzheimer’s Association, 2014). In an effort to gain a deeper understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers create new knowledge about the disease, which is then distributed to the public. The goal in this information disbursement is to find new and inventive ways to treat AD, prevent AD from progressing at such a rapid pace, and aid in the quality of life in those diagnosed with AD as well as caregivers and medical professionals providing treatment to individuals’ with AD.

Alzheimer’s disease is a complex illness that affects the brain tissue directly and undergoes gradual memory and behavioral changes which makes it difficult to diagnose. It is known to be the most common form of dementia and is irreversible. Over four million older Americans have Alzheimer’s, and that number is expected to triple in the next twenty years as more people live into their eighties and nineties. (Johnson, 1989). There is still no cure for Alzheimer’s but throughout the past few years a lot of progress has been made.

Alzheimer’s disease was discovered by Alois Alzheimer, a German psychiatrist and neuropathologist. The disease was initially observed in a 51-year-old woman, after her family brought her to Dr. Alzheimer with concerns about her personality and behavior. He detected many unusual symptoms, including difficulty with

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).

Of the estimated 5.5 million Americans living with this disease, an estimated 5.3 million are age 65 and older. Approximately 200,000 individuals are under age 65 and have younger-onset Alzheimer’s diease. One in ten people age 65 and older has Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Every 66 seconds someone in the United States develops the disease. It kills more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. Deaths from Alzheimer’s increased 68% between 200 and 2010. This disease is affecting more and more people each day and becoming a real problem in the United States. Unless Alzheimer’s can be effectively treated or prevented, the number of people with it will increase significantly if current population trends

One in three seniors die of Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia (Godman). Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia but all types of dementia diseases effect seniors and their families in a dramatic drastic way. Early signs of Alzheimer’s start as early as the age of 30 and can affect someone for the rest of their life. These diseases have become more reoccurring every year, effecting around 5.3 million Americans and will continue to change lives for the rest of time (Bender, 2). As of now, there has been no cure for Alzheimer’s but scientists and doctors are putting time and effort into an Alzheimer’s cure through research, trials and ways to prevent the disease.

Alzheimer’s disease affects the lives of over 5 million Americans today. The cost that it has placed on the U.S is a staggering $203 million dollars. Researchers have reported that those numbers are expected to triple by 2050. However draining that this disease may seem, the real question is whether there is a solution. To this day there is still no cure to stop or even slow down th progression of the brain disease but there are treatments that help cover the symptoms. While the majority of the people who suffer from Alzheimer is generally over the age of 65, about 200,000, of the estimated 5 million, are in the age range of 30-40.

There are few people who do not worry about getting AD as they get older. Indeed, the incidence of AD increases with each successive year of life after age 60. Currently, scientists estimate that “4.5 million people have AD in America alone and 22 million worldwide” (Willett 63). The disease affects about “five percent of people ages 65 to 74 and nearly half the population of people 85 and older” (“Alzheimer” 1). Disturbingly, the disease is becoming even more common. Statistics now show that the number of people with the disease doubles every five years among older people. Using this as a rule, Dr. Robert Katzman of the University of California “estimates the total could be 45 million worldwide by 2050” (qted in Willett 13).

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), is a type of dementia that no one would ever want their grandmother or grandfather to suffer from, as it destroys memory and other important mental functions of its sufferer. Alzheimer's disease is currently ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. While the age 65 and older is its target age, it has consumed the lives of over 1.9 million people. The brain begins to show signs of damage in the hippocampus, the part of the brain essential in forming memories. As more neurons die, parts of the brain then begin to shrink. By the final stage of Alzheimer’s, damage is widespread, and brain tissue has shrunk significantly. The idea that Alzheimer’s disease is related to age in 1974 was introduced

The disease is thought to be caused by a buildup of protein-based plaques in the brain, and investigators now believe they have an understanding of possible ways to interrupt that process. Technology is helping too, as researchers exploit new ways to scan the brain and detect the first signs of trouble, peering deeper into human and animal neural tissue to pinpoint the very molecules that give rise to the disease.Recent evidence also indicates that the nucleus basalis of Meynert, a distinct population of basal forebrain neurons, is a major source of cholinergic innervation of the cerebral cortex. Postmortem studies have previously demonstrated profound reduction in the presynaptic markers for cholinergic neurons in the cortex of patients with Alzheimer's disease and senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type. The results of this study show that neurons of the nucleus basalis of Meynert undergo a profound (greater than 75 percent) and selective degeneration in these patients and provide a pathological substrate of the cholinergic deficiency in their brains. Demonstration of selective degeneration of such neurons represents the first documentation of a loss of a transmitter-specific neuronal population in a major disorder of higher cortical function and, as such, points to a critical subcortical lesion in Alzheimer's patients "Our

As such, Alzheimer’s disease accounts for being one of the major contributing factors in dementia. In fact, Alzheimer’s disease accounts for around forty to seventy percent of dementia symptom diagnoses (16). With each year, the number of individuals being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease continues to rise. This number is only expected to keep escalating, with a prediction that one in eighty-five people will suffer from the disease by the year 2050

Unfortunately, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Doctors try to treat symptoms and increase quality of life with drugs. The FDA has approved two classes of drugs and in those to classes five different drugs are available for patients who are suffering from this disease. The first class of drugs called cholinesterase inhibitors eliminates a neurotransmitter in the brain called acetylcholine. Doctor Dalvi explained how the inhibitors remove acetylcholine by saying “Cholinesterase inhibitors reduce hydrolysis of synaptic acetylcholine by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, resulting in increased stimulation of the cholinergic receptor.” (DALVI). Drugs in this class significantly impact the growth of the disease. It’s recommended for patients