Alzheimer’s in most cases is not a hereditary disease that can be passed down through generations of families. “Many people fear that Alzheimer's disease in the family may be passed on to children and grandchildren. In the vast majority (99 percent) of cases, this is not so.”(Alzheimer’s Society, 2016, p.1) Alzheimer’s is sometimes a hereditary disease that is potentially passed down, but a patient is not guaranteed to develop the disease if a family member has it. Although if more than one family member has Alzheimer’s the patient has a higher likelihood of contracting the disease. “Those who have a parent, brother or sister with Alzheimer’s are more likely to develop the disease.”(Alzheimer’s Association, 2018, p.1) The risk of developing …show more content…
“The noninvasive test was developed to detect the presence of the toxic protein amyloid beta, known to be present in people affected by the disease, and did so with 90% accuracy” (Blood test detects proteins linked to Alzheimer's disease, 2016, p.1) This blood test is very accurate in finding the proteins in the brain linked to Alzheimer’s. There is a neurological exam for patients with Alzheimer’s to test what stage they are in. “Neurological skill resides in the ability to elicit symptoms and assess the validity of signs that confirm neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular symptoms.”(The Role of the Neurologic Examination in the Diagnosis and Categorization of Dementia, 2018, p.1) The neurological exam needed to confirm signs of neurological deficiency and help a doctor make the diagnosis. Also, a brain scan can determine Alzheimer’s even before symptoms show. “By playing repeated short noises, scientists stimulated the mPFC and measured the activity in this brain region using MEG scans. The study tested this method on 20 people, finding that sounds were able to stimulate this area of the brain in healthy volunteers.”(Brain scans detect Alzheimer’s before the onset of symptoms, 2017, p.1) “However, the researchers found that in people with Alzheimer’s, the auditory triggers were not able to activate this region of the brain.” (Brain …show more content…
There are also exercises for the brain to prolong the progression of Alzheimer’s. “Really, any kind of word or number puzzles work here. The point is to continuously stimulate the brain and keep your recall abilities high.” “By rotating through the different activities, you’ll stimulate different areas of the brain. This, in turn, helps keep the nerves functioning and healthy.” (15 Best Brain Exercises to Prevent Alzheimer’s and Dementia, 2018, p.1) It is very important to stimulate brain cells and keep them active. This, in turn, keeps brain neurons firing and active. There is a new breakthrough medication that helps to slow down the process of Alzheimer’s. “NAMZARIC is the FIRST AND ONLY once-a-day capsule that works on two pathways in the brain to fight the symptoms of moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease (AD)” (NAMZARIC, 2017, p.1) “Donepezil HCl, is thought to work by slowing the breakdown of a chemical in the brain called acetylcholine. This chemical is involved in learning and memory.” (NAMZARIC, 2017, p.1) “Memantine HCI, may help regulate the abnormal activity of glutamate—another chemical in the brain that is important for learning and memory.”(NAMZARIC, 2017, p.1) NAMZARIC is a new medicine and breakthrough for the cure of Alzheimer’s. The capsil works in two ways with two drugs involved. Acetylcholinesterase which
Most of the time we tend to ignore ourselves ignoring what it is important for our health because we focus more in those who depend on us. In the video “The New Face of Alzheimer’s,” Robert Lipsyte ask Mary Ann Becklenberg, if she could write to herself a letter what would she write to herself and I like what she respond “be gentle with yourself, lower your expectations of yourself, built your spirit, give credit to yourself and take care of yourself.” I realize that I tend to ignore myself because I worry more about my family needs than my. I take time to reconnect with myself to learn what I need, what I have done wrong that could affect my health or just be calm. I tend ignore what is important for my health such as sleeping, eating healthy,
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 85. (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)
The majority of dementia is not inherited, but it depends a lot on the particular cause of dementia. Some rare causes of dementia are inherited, like Huntington’s disease. “This is an ‘autosomal dominant’ disease, which means that only one faulty copy of the gene is needed to inherit the disease” (Living with dementia magazine April 2009 n.d). If someone had an inherited disease and lived long enough, they could pass it on and it wouldn’t skip a generation.
Familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) is a rare form of Alzheimer's that is entirely passed down through family, being inherited from a parent. FAD accounts for between 2-3% of all cases of Alzheimer's and usually has a much earlier onset than other types of Alzheimer's, with symptoms developing in their 30s or 40s.
Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative, cognitive disease that affects 5.2 million people in America. Many specialists have concerns because our society is living longer. It’s imperative we understand this disease because of the multitude of people it affects. A defining factor of this disease is that it becomes severe enough to inhibit activities of daily living. There are three distinct types of Alzheimer’s: early onset, late onset, and familial. Late onset is what most people think of when they think of Alzheimer’s as it mostly occurs after the ages of 65. Early onset, as the name implies, occurs before the age of 65. This form of Alzheimer’s occurs highly in people with Down’s syndrome. Familial is an inherited form of Alzheimer’s. This
When it comes to Alzheimer’s, I know firsthand how it affects individuals and their families. My great grandfather had Alzheimer’s for many years before his passing late last year, at age 92. Alzheimer’s is a disease that many individuals suffer with each year, but yet with all the advancements in modern medicine we still have no cure for it. There are different ways to conquer this disease, understanding the causes, knowing effects, and researching possible treatments.
It is estimated that by the year 2050, around 160 million people will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease (Park, “How Exercise”). Alzheimer’s is a genetic disease, meaning it is passed down through one’s family. Daisy Duarte has had to care for her mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, for four years. Seventy-five percent of Daisy’s family has had the disease, so she decided to get tested to see if she carries the gene. “Finding out your genetic destiny can be life altering” (Park, “How Exercise”). Alzheimer’s disease affects many people, but there are ways to slow the process, and maybe even prevent it.
Alzheimer's disease is a very common genetic disease that affects about 3 million people per year in the United States alone. It is a degenerative brain disorder that mainly causes memory loss and confusion. It is a type of dementia, known as senile dementia, and is a progressive disease that destroys memory and interferes with everyday life functions. Early Onset Alzheimer's, also known as Familial Alzheimer's, is a type of Alzheimer's that is diagnosed before the age of 65. About 5% of all Alzheimer's cases are Early Onset; this equates out to about 200,000 people in America.
For people developing Alzheimer’s disease, there is no actual test to diagnose a person with it. Doctors will diagnose a person with Alzheimer’s disease when they have a severe cognitive decline that will meet the standards of dementia, dementia is very consistent that it will turn in to Alzheimer’s disease and that no other
Most cases of early onset Alzheimer’s disease are caused by an inherited change of genes resulting in what is known as early-onset familial Alzheimer’s. If that is not that case then the cause is still unknown. For late-onset Alzheimer’s disease the causes is unknown but believed to be a combination of genetic, environmental or lifestyle factors that affect a person’s risk of developing the disease.
The neurodegenerative disease is the disease in which the neurons become degenerate and causing death of neurons. The Alzheimer’s disease is the first most common neurodegenerative disease. The Alzheimer’s disease is firstly described by Alois Alzheimer in (1907) because of this it named Alzheimer’s. The Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Alzheimer’s disease is the first most common neurodegenerative disease and the (Yanker, 1996) studied the Alzheimer’s disease neuronal degeneration and the mechanism of this disease. The dopamine neurons degenerate when the neurotoxin induced in the Caenorhabditis elegans (Francis et al., 1999). The 95% Parkinson’
There are 2 genes that can carry on the disease (Risk genes and Determining genes). The disease can be passed down from older family members (hereditary) or it can be caused from environmental factors (APOE-e4 gene). Having this mutation doesn’t mean that you will automatically inherit the disease but there’s a likelihood that you might. Another cause of Alzheimer’s is brain cell death which is a neurodegenerative disease that progresses the brain cell damage that will happen over time.
The tragic Alzheimer disease affects about 5.5 million people in America. The term “Alzheimer” dates back to the early 1900’s, when German doctor, Alois Alzheimer, presented a case of a 51-year-old woman who suffered from a rare brain disorder that later resulted to her death. Alzheimer's is a brain disease that causes a slow decline in one’s memory, thinking and reasoning skills. This disease attacks the brain cells, which causes them to die out or to be damaged. Unfortunately, researchers still do not know why this happens. The disease hereditary and is common in individuals over the age of 65. It is uncommon for someone to have this disease at a younger age, called on-set Alzheimer, but it is possible. According to the Alzheimer’s association, up to 5%, more than 5 million Americans with Alzheimer’s have younger-onset.
Despite many researches of past eras and present years; it is still a proven challenge to the discovery of the cause of Alzheimer disease that is now the most common diagnosis in dementia. As of 2017, reports conducted by the Alzheimer's Association stated that; 5.5 million Americans are estimated to be affected with Alzheimer's dementia. With an estimate of 5.3 million having AD beginning at age 65 and oldeR and, two hundred thousands younger population,now referred to as the “younger-onset Alzheimer's”,(Alzheimer’s Association, 2017). The causes of dementia, who it affects and at what ages, the treatment plans and support from family and friends are the most important factors in dealing with this disease. The effect of Dementia destroys an
This indication does not mean that people will develop the disease as they age. The greater part of the population do not. Although, it is possible for some younger people, in their 40s or 50s, to be diagnosed with the young (early) onset form of the disease. Rare cases of Alzheimer’s disease are inherited or “familial’. They account for less than 5 percent of all cases. This form of the disease runs in families. If a person has familial Alzheimer’s disease, each of his/her children has an incremented chance of inheriting the disease-causing gene and developing Alzheimer’s disease