Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. In most people with Alzheimer’s, symptoms first appear in their mid-60s (nih.gov). AD is a multifactorial and progressive neurodegenerative disease. Parts of AD, for example, increased oxidative state, amyloid plaque deposition, and neurofibrillary tangle of tau protein in the central cortex the limbic system of the brain, have been related with Alzheimer's disease. AD standouts amongst the most well-known and feared diseases burdening the elderly community. The disease was once thought to be a natural part of aging, is an extremely incapacitating type of mental dementia. …show more content…
Normal vs. AD Brain Methods Eight articles were included in this review primarily identified through Meta-analysis. I’ll explain a couple of the information found in Article, (1) was helpful in identifying a normal brain and a brain that has the Alzheimer’s disease. It explains. The development of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are thought to add to the degradation of the nerve cells in the brain and the subsequent symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. And article (2) was provided by nih.gov on the facts sheet of AD. …show more content…
Also, it is imperative that we understand potential environmental and genetic risk factors for AD, the processes leading to formation of plaques and tangles in the brain, and the brain regions that are affected. In the case of genetic risk factor, result from a combined analyses of several genome-wide association studies (GWAS) conducted in the US, and three other countries including a huge number of participants with and without Alzheimer's disease. GWAS analyze DNA to identify specific genetic variations associated with diseases. Researchers located four gene risk factors on chromosome 12 that may play a part in age-related hippocampal decrease. The side effects are distinctive as indicated by the individuals and area of brain affected. (nih.gov) Alzheimer’s is the high leading cause of death in the world. Depending on the age and health conditions Alzheimer’s can survive 8- 15 yrs. after symptoms become noticeable. There is no specific cause of Alzheimer’s, but researchers they believe that Environmental factors and genetic factors may induce abnormal process in brain that leads to
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 (AD), a form of degenerative, fatal dementia, is characterized by progressive cognitive decline. While AD is the most common form of dementia, its prevalence has only recently been recognized. When Alois Alzheimer first described the sequence of changes in 1907, physicians believed the disease to be an extremely rare, mid-life condition. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that the same types of changes were shown to occur in both late- and early-onset forms (Cavanaugh et.al. 2008). As such, almost all knowledge of AD has been learned within the past several decades, with new discoveries being reported almost daily. It is now estimated that Alzheimer’s accounts for as many as 60% of all dementias and affects more than 500,000
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
The disease called Alzheimer’s is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States (Weiner, 1987). It is estimated that the elderly population will double between now and 2030. During this period, the number of elderly will grow by an average of 2.8% annually (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). By 2050, the number of people with Alzheimer’s is estimated to range from 11.3 million to 16 million (Alzheimer’s Association, 2005). These startling numbers should prompt an examination into one of the leading causes of death among this group of people. Understanding what Alzheimer’s is and the known causes of the disease are a good starting point. For those who have aging family members, knowing the risk factors and warning
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 is one of the most common causes of dementia. The term 'dementia' describes a set of symptoms, which can include memory loss, changes in mood and problems with communication and reasoning. These symptoms occur when certain diseases and conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, damage the brain. Alzheimer's disease could be described as a physical disease affecting the brain. During the course of the disease, protein 'plaques' and 'tangles' develop
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).
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).
The production and accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides, in neuritic plaques, as well as, the increase of an abnormal hyperphosphorylated form of tau protein in neurofibrillary plaques or tangles, inside the neuronal cells, are the two main alterations believed to be the hallmarks of AD. (1) AD can be referred as a synaptic disease because the flow of information decreases due to depletion in the number of synapses and, with the development of AD, the death of a lot of neurons. This results in impairments at cognitive and emotional processing.(2, 3) The production and accumulation of Aβ, associated with the aggregations of Tau protein, are likely the precursors to the interference in the communication between neurons, promoting the blockage of nutrients and other essential molecules to the
Alzheimer’s disease is a very slowly progressive disease that occurs inside the brain in which is characterized by damage of memory. Also this type of disease can lead into interruption in language, problem solving, planning and perception. The chance of a person developing Alzheimer’s disease increases enormously after the age of 70 (Crystal, 2009). Also people who are over the age of 85 have over a 50 percent chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This type of disease is not at all normal in the aging process and is also not something that happens out of no where in a person’s life.
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.
According to Kerr, (2007) AD is largely related to the degeneration of brain weight because plaques and neuro- fibre tangles form, causing inflammation, disrupting neuronal transmission and killing brain tissues. AD is a progressive disease which harms the temporal and parietal brain lobes. This causes memory loss, deterioration of visual spatial skill, complexity in communication, judgement and recognition which in long term, results in death of brain cells (Alzheimer’s Association, 2011).
According to most research, scientists, doctors and psychologists say that the causes of the brain damages are genetic factors, nutritional disorders, toxic exposure and radiation factors. In genetic factors, it is studied that Alzheimer’s disease can be caused due to hereditary. This is most commonly seen on patients who suffer the disease before the age of 50. In nutritional factors, scientists project some vitamin deficiencies can lead to Alzheimer disease.
Abstract: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system. Cur-
Alzheimer 's disease (AD) the commonest form of dementia (70 %). It is a complex disease which is characterized by an accumulation of β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles composed of tau amyloid fibrils associated with synapse loss and