Alzheimer's Disease Summary

Alzheimer’s disease is incurable, but there are many stages, warning signs, and risk factors that can serve as detection devices for those who have older adults in their lives. One of the most common early signs of this form of dementia is memory loss. While it is normal for people to occasionally forget things, such as appointments and names, people with Alzheimer’s tend to forget these things more often and are not able to recall them even after a period of time. Other signs that signify a possible case of Alzheimer’s is difficulty performing familiar tasks (cooking, brushing teeth), problems with language (using odd words, failing to remember correct words), disorientation (forgetting where one lives, not knowing how he got to a certain place), problems with abstract thinking (forgetting what numbers represent), misplacing items (putting a hair brush in the freezer), moodiness, personality changes (confusion, suspicion, fearfulness), and loss of initiative

The Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute has developed a program that is key in promoting early detection of dementia. The WAI-Affiliated Dementia Diagnostic Clinic Networks give individuals an opportunity for memory screening through a memory clinic setting. The process of setting up such a system is very extensive and needs an abundance of support from local health care systems. Once the support systems are on board, an interdisciplinary team needs to be established and the appropriate staffing roles are filled. The staffing team and their collaboration play a very important part in running a successful memory clinic and detecting early dementia.

Alzheimer 's disease is a highly progressive and irreversible brain disorder that impairs cognitive function and eventually annihilates brain cells. “It is characterized by the development of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, the loss of connections between nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain, and the death of these nerve cells” (nia). There is currently no cure for this retrogressive cognitive disease. Alzheimer’s disease affects approximately “4.5 million people in the Unites States and 8 million people worldwide” (pathopta). Studies show that one in eight people over the age of 65 will suffer from Alzheimer’s. Physicians and researchers alike believe that there are numerous individuals with the symptoms of Alzheimer’s whom go undiagnosed and untreated. This neurological disorder is not a natural age-related response, and those whom present with any signs and symptoms should be seen by their physician promptly. Even though Alzheimer’s affects a massive number of the

--- Alzheimer’s disease is without a doubt a fatal disease, according to Dr.Maurizio Grimaldi he says “Alzheimer's disease (AD) is very complex and always fatal. It manifests initially with marked memory failure, but as it progresses, it also has an effect on higher brain functions. In the later stages of the disease, balance and coordination as well as autonomic functions like heart rate, breathing, digestion and sleep cycles are severely affected.

In majority of clinical trials that have been performed they said that their is no single test that proves that a person has alzheimer’s, diagnoses are made through a complete assessment that considers all possible causes such as medical history, physical exam, neurological exam, mental status, & brain imaging. However, one genetic risk factor having one

Alzheimer’s is the fourth largest cause of death in America; it usually affects people over the age of sixty, but there have been cases with younger people being affected ("Alzheimer 's Disease & Dementia | Alzheimer 's Association," 2015). The only way to detect Alzheimer’s is in the brain after death; but, it can be sense it by carefully examining a person’s physical and mental status, and by talking to the person’s friends and relatives about their background and common personality. If detected early, the results can be very beneficial and can help the person with the disease fight it better, and understand ways of trying to fight it.

Due to this, medical professionals have termed the disease “early onset Alzheimer’s” and make a suspected diagnosis due to symptoms characteristic of the disease. A diagnosis is only confirmed by brain biopsy after death. Unfortunately, due to this many answers aren’t found until it is too late. Similarly, as researchers are struggling to find a solution and a cure to Alzheimer’s, the epidemic of people struggling with the disease is rapidly growing.

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

“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

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

Meanwhile, the director of research for Alzheimer’s Research UK added that current diagnostic measure used to detect the disease must be improved, because “25% of diagnoses by doctors of early-stage Alzheimer’s are incorrect...Obviously that figure has to improve. Indeed, we have to develop tests that will allow us to make accurate diagnoses at even earlier stages of the disease, before there has been a loss of brain function.”

Diagnosing Alzheimer’s isn’t easy. Because of the complexity of the disease, there are a ton of different factors that contribute to the process.

This article discusses the positive and negative consequences of early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. The positive aspect of early diagnosis is through early care and intervention, a halt in the progression of the disease may be achieved with the limited drug options. It also provides the individual the ability to plan and prepare for an uncertain future. The diagnosis does alleviate the confusion of why the person is experiencing problems in performing their daily functions and helps those that interact with the person understand the changes in the individual’s behavior.

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that represents the most common type of dementia in the elderly. The disease is characterised by progressive dementia that inevitably leads to incapacitation and death. The most common and distinctive hallmark lesions present within the disease brain are the senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. The amyloid plaques is a major component of the disease, and is constituted mainly by the neurotoxic amyloid-β42, which is a product of the amyloid precursor protein. Mutations on the amyloid precursor protein alters the proteolytic processing, leading to overproduction and accumulation of the neurotoxic amyloid-β42, generating a progressive deposition of protein fragments in amyloid

Members of a family and close friends are more sensitive to the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease than traditional screening tests. The researchers from the University of Washington have developed the alternative approach to diagnostics of this disease which is based on questioning of the family or relatives of the patient. Such a questionnaire takes only some minutes and allows estimating cognitive changes which cause difficulties in accomplishment of daily activities. It is proved by the researches on the presence of biomarkers, such as abnormal levels of certain factors in a spinal liquid or Alzheimer’s plaques