Alzheimer's Disease 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.

In 1901, the German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer studied a 51-year-old woman who experienced short-term memory, as well as a few other behavioral symptoms, until she died in April 1906 (Anderson). Within the past 15 to 20 years there have been dramatic discoveries made to help us understand the pathophysiology and neurogenetics of Alzheimer’s Disease, there are four different genes have been ultimately connected with this terrible disease as well as a few others that may be related (Anderson). According to Gould, in Alzheimer’s disease there is a constant a developing loss of intellectual function that will ultimately interfere with ones work, personal relationships, and their hygiene.

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.

I remember the days when my grandma would be the one taking care of me after school. Each and every school day, I would eagerly wait for school to end so that my grandma could come and pick me up to bring me back to her apartment. Each and every day, she would come 15 minutes after school had ended to avoid the hassle of dealing with all the parents coming at the same time to pick their kids up. I didn’t mind though, that gave me time to talk to my teachers about issues that I had or just to socialize with my friends. Once my grandma arrived, I would quickly drop what I was doing, say goodbye to whomever I was talking to, and go straight to the car to keep my grandma from waiting. My grandma would immediately greet me and ask how my day

     It is inevitable that eventually each of us will grow old and begin to face more and more health problems as our age rises. Elderly people are challenged by many illnesses and diseases that unfortunately, are incurable. One disease that becomes more common as people age is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s a common cause and a form of dementia and can severely damage a patient’s cognitive functions and can ultimately cause death. Living with Alzheimer’s disease can be saddening for both the sufferer and the family. Family and friends will find it very hard to cope when a loved one begins slipping away and losing memory of who they are.

Alzheimer’s and other dementias are impacting our communities on every level—that is why it is important to work together. Our Chapter’s quest to reach individuals living with the disease, family caregivers, members of the community and health care professionals continues to grow each year as we expand our reach through the hard work of our staff, volunteers and community partners. As we highlight the work of our programs and services throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire this year, we also encourage you to learn more by visiting us at alz.org/MANH.

Many believe that if an individual develops Alzheimer’s at an early age, it is related to genetics. Yet, still others believe that Alzheimer’s that develops at a later age, is related to genetics as well. A mutation on chromosome 19 has been linked with a later onset of Alzheimer’s disease, but not everyone that has the mutation develops the disease (5). Therefore, the parallel

Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disease that is seen in the elderly. It is the most common form of dementia, which is a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life (Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia). Alzheimer’s is one of the leading causes of death in America. Dementia and Alzheimer’s have been around for centuries, but Alzheimer’s disease wasn’t first described until 1906 by Dr. Aloysius Alzheimer. In the past, there was a stigma for elderly people with the disease and people with dementia and Alzheimer’s were seen as a burden on society. Society has only recently accepted and cared for people with the disorder. There are now treatments and research being done for dementia and Alzheimer’s, but no cure remains and many individuals still suffer from the disease. Future treatments for the disease include taking aim at significant aspects of the disease like fighting beta-amyloid plaques, recruiting the immune system, reducing brain cell inflammation, and studying the heart-head connection (Alzheimer’s Treatments: What’s on the Horizon?). There are other ways to possibly treat the disease in the future as well. Hopefully from looking at the history of the disease, how the disease affects the brain and body, and future treatments, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia will be a thing of the past.

This paper explores various elements and issues related to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Topics briefly detailed include etiology, symptomology, diagnosis, neuroanatomy, neurotransmitter systems involved and treatments that focus on neurotransmitters. Emphasis is placed on such topics as cognitive decline and dementia; neurological change; and changes to neurotransmitters and synapses. Details concerning diagnosis and treatment are brief, but do elaborate somewhat on present studies into addressing specific changes in the brain through pharmacological approaches, cognitive therapies and physical exercise. At present, there are limited resources available for treatment of AD. While research continues to seek out more effective therapies, it appears that most only have little to moderate efficacy on this elusive disease.

The Journal of the American Medical Association reports the latest break through in the study of gene causing Alzheimer’s has pointed to two genes, chromosomes 2 and 19 that cause the disease (7). The article also points out another gene, A polipoprotein E-e4, is also linked to Alzheimer’s disease. According to the Journal of Alzheimer’s disease, Jose Vina and Ana Lloret writes that women are at higher risk of Alzheimer’s due

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) has been implicated with two major pathologies, the accumulation of amyloid-B and tau phosphorylation (_). These pathologies have long been implicated with the gene Alipoprotein E (ApoE) which continually showed a dosage-dependent effect on amyloid-B clearance (_). Many studies have shown correlated linkage between ApoE and tau as well as their possible interactions (_). Tau phosphorylation has continually been found among many AD patients suffering with and without amyloid-B deposition (_). However, it is still unclear whether ApoE affects tau pathology separately from amyloid-B. Shi et al. aimed to conduct an experiment to show the direct association of ApoE to taupathy while eliminating the

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.

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive brain disorder, which damages and yet destroys brain cells, leading to changes in thinking, memory loss, behavioral problems, and other brain functions. Alzheimer’s is an inherited or genetic disease, meaning that it is a medical disease, which runs within the family, caused by the changes in the genes that are passed from one generation to another. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, a widespread term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities, severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases, such as vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, mixed dementia and frontotemporal dementia. Alzheimer is not a normal part

people much younger tend to discover they have Familial Alzheimer Disease or FAD. Familiar Alzheimer's is inherited through dominant autosomes and must have a parent who had AD. Alzheimer’s is known to affect at least three genes: Presenilin 1 (PSEN1), Presenilin 2 (PSEN2), and Amyloid beta (A4) precursor protein (APP)⨥. It is believed that Familial Alzheimer’s affects chromosome 1, 14, and 21 causing abnormal proteins to be formed⊣. On chromosome 21, mutations form causing the formation of APP, chromosome 14 causes PSEN1, and chromosome 1 causes a mutation forming PSEN2.⦶

“Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that gets worse over time. It leads to nerve cell death, and tissue loss throughout the brain. Over time, the brain shrinks dramatically, affecting nearly all its functions. It gradually destroys a person's memory and ability to learn and carry out daily activities such as talking, eating, and going to the bathroom” (What Is Alzheimer’s). Early symptoms include personality changes, memory impairment, problems with language, decision-making ability, judgment, and personality.