preview

Alzheimer's Disease: A Case Study

Decent Essays
Open Document

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 …show more content…

This is done through promoting the practice of good health and maintaining it throughout life. It is also crucial to prevent the disease at a very early phase before it progresses into a more overt disease (Solomon et al. 2014). The biggest area to improve in order to prevent AD is nutrition and implementing this is pivotal for primary car physicians. Proper diet and nutrition provides protective benefits to the brain that help preserve cognition and memory (Bane and Cole, 2015). Researches have found that diets rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, such as high intake of fish, also helps prevent AD (Bane and Cole, …show more content…

Current guidelines recommend that after diagnosis, management of patients with AD focus on promoting independence and maintaining normal function (Staedtler and Nunez, 2015). Non-pharmacological therapy ranges from removing stressors and providing a safe environment for the patient, to participation in activities such as music, exercise, and art (Staedtler and Nunez, 2015). Such strategies have shown improvement in symptoms with patients who have AD, while at the same time being cost-effective (Staedtler and Nunez, 2015). Pharmacological treatments such as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs), like Galantamine, have produced significant improvements in cognitive function for people who have AD (Blautzik et al. 2015). AChEIs enhance the cerebral cholinergic system, which is altered in people who have Alzheimer’s and also slow down hippocampal atrophy (Blautzik et al. 2015). Both therapeutic and pharmacological pathways have been proven affective and aid in normalizing cognition with patients suffering from

Get Access