Alzheimer's Disease Essay

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

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia that generally initiates the lost memory, problem of critical thinking and behavior problems for the elderly patients. It’s not a normal part of aging but the large number of elderly people reached 65 and older are at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The most common early symptoms are struggle in remembering recent events or short term memory. As the disease advance more symptoms begin to show up like problems in speaking and language, disorientation like getting lost and cease to remember the present activity that they are supposed to do. Mood swings go from happy to sad for no reason. Not managing their self, personal hygiene

Alzheimer’s disease in many ways is not yet defined. It is a progressive disease afflicting between 5 and 15 percent of people over 65. Additionally, it is not restricted to the elderly, reportedly having

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).

Diagnosis is based on performance in tests, such as the memory impairment screen (MIS) or the General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition (GPCOG), to determine cognitive function and based on recommended guidelines as published by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) (Grossberg et al., 2010). Due to the slowly progressive nature of AD it is possible that diagnosis is not made during the mild or even moderate stages of the disease, which could have effects of the effectiveness of currently available treatments; thus the current recommendation is routine annual screening for development of AD.

Dementia is characterized as a condition where the mental processes of cognition and memory start to deteriorate. It is described as a syndrome that hinders the daily lives of those who have it and is characterized by memory and thinking impairment. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s Disease and the second most common is vascular dementia. Dementia is a syndrome occurring usually, but not limited, to people over the age of 40 and is due to brain damage caused by natural deteriorating, stroke or can be brought on by factors such as excessive drinking or drug abuse. Dementia is best cared for in its early stages and, therefore, an early diagnosis is essential. Recognizing the symptoms by both the dementia patient and the

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder and the leading cause of dementia worldwide, accounting for approximately 60-70 % of all cases.1-3 AD is a highly debilitating disorder, progressing from minor memory problems to a complete loss of cognitive functions and eventually death. Prevalence increases exponentially with

The client scored 18 out of 30 on the Mini-Mental State Exam which suggests moderate dementia. The client displayed tangential speech, restricted affect, disorientation to time and event, and impaired impulse control during the clinical interview. The diagnosis is major neurocognitive disorder due to Alzheimer’s disease (presumptive).

Having Alzheimer’s would cause your parents to forget everything over time, including you, their only child. Because you were so young, Alden and I decided to tell you that they had just been killed. We figured it would be better for you to believe that they were dead than to tell you that they do not even remember who you are. But, throughout these past few months, we have noticed that you haven’t forgotten about them, and no matter how hard we have tried to prevent you, you have always tried to find a way to see your parents again.”

The general diagnostic criteria for major neurocognitive disorder is as follows, as reported by the American Psychiatric Association (2013). There must be a a decrease in cognitive performance from at least one cognitive domain, including complex attention, executive function, learning and memory, language, perceptual-motor, or social cognition. This must be supported by evidence of concern regarding significant cognitive decline by the individual, their loved ones, or their clinician as well as a quantified clinical assessment, such as a standardized neuropsychological test, reporting a significant decline in cognition (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). These significant cognitive declines must show a decline in independence through typical day to day activities such as needing help in remembering to pay bills or keeping up with medications. Lastly, this cognitive decline are not occurring as a result of delirium only and are not better evidenced as a mental disorder such as major depressive disorder or schizophrenia. (American Psychiatric Association, 2013)

Diagnosing a patient with Alzheimer 's is always a difficult task, and takes a toll on everyone, but the patient can be truly diagnosed with Alzheimer 's after an autopsy is performed (Khachaturian, 1985, 1097-1105). Only an autopsy can determine if a person has dementia or if their brain is actually loosing gray matter, or if "neuroinflamation played an increasing role in the brain changes that occur in Alzheimer 's" (Campea, 2016). As terrible as it is, our current knowledge of the disease only allows doctors to suspect that an elderly person is developing Alzheimer 's, but it is a broad spectrum of problems, as it can include: short term memory loss, long term memory loss, brain damage,

It’s 1965, my legs have gone numb as I sit cross legged on the soft carpet, flipping through piles of medical bills. They say his condition is improving, that he will be able to recall simple memories. I think to myself how impossible it seems at this moment, after watching him wake up every morning, lost and confused as to who I am, who he is. It’s like he doesn't have control over his own body.

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.

The 1984 clinical criteria for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease, reflected the limited knowledge of the time. It defined Alzheimer’s as having a single stage, dementia, and based diagnosis solely on clinical symptoms. The original criteria addressed the disease and described only later stages, when symptoms of dementia were already evident. It was assumed that people free of dementia symptoms were disease-free. Diagnosis was confirmed only at autopsy, showing abnormal amounts of amyloid proteins forming plaques and tau proteins forming tangles found in the brain.

Alzheimer disease is the most prevalent form of dementia. There is no way to prevent the advancement of the disease, which intensifies and lastly leads to doom. Currently, there is no way to detect the disease or to diagnose it. It's a must to develop new methods to diagnose and monitor the disease progression. Doctors spare no effort to release new medicines that will decelerate the disease advancement. Dementia is a disorder recognized by obstruction to diverse brain functions. There are many ways by which dementia can affect a person and there are three main stages for it : the early stage (first year or two), middle stage (second to fifth years), and the late stage (fifth years and