Alzheimer’s Disease “What is Alzheimer’s disease (AD)?” Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia that affects an individual’s memory, cognition, and behavior disturbances that ultimately diminishes their quality of life.1-2 Dementia is not a specific disease it is a general term for a variety of symptoms that affect memory and intellectual thinking that causes difficulty in our tasks of daily living.(5) The confusion between these two terms is extraordinary. It’s helpful to think of dementia as the symptom and to think of AD as the cause of that symptom. Although, there are many causes of dementia for the purpose of this paper, Alzheimer’s will be the only one discussed. A German physician, Alois Alzheimer, first described AD in 1907 after working with a woman in her 50s, Auguste D, in 1902.4 Of course at that time no research had been conducted on this devastating disease. When Mr. Alzheimer first started working with her, Auguste D experienced restlessness, anxiousness, and confusion.4 Each day Auguste D would present with a negative attitude and it became difficult and even impossible to examine her.4 Because of Auguste D’s behavioral disturbances she often spent the day in a warm bath in an attempt to calm the symptoms of agitation.4 During the night, Auguste D was often isolated because she would wander and would wake other patients because she failed to go to sleep.4 Mr. Alzheimer developed a plan of care which focused on outdoor activity,
Throughout this line of study, Alzheimer’s disease is a specific form of dementia. According to Alzheimer’s Association, dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability that is severe enough to hinder daily life. Memory loss is a symptom of dementia and the most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s. One of the most common and severe symptom of Alzheimer’s is difficulty remembering newly learned information. The changes of Alzheimer’s normally begin in the part of the brain that affects learning (Overview Alzheimer's Association). Some other symptoms of Alzheimer’s include gradual memory loss, the decline in capability to carry out everyday tasks and the loss of their language skills. According to Bialystok the rate of
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).
The second most common form of dementia is vascular dementia, which happens when there is a blockage in the blood vessels that is in the vast system of the arteries that feeds the brain. Vascular dementia is known to affect the thinking process and older people are generally more prone to developing this disorder. Vascular Dementia, also known as multi-infarct dementia, occurs when cells in the brain are deprived of oxygen. Mini-strokes, also known as silent strokes, are the cause of partial blockage of the blood vessels. The people that suffer from strokes have a 30% chance of getting dementia within three months of their stroke (Kumral and Özgören, 2017).
I think it is important for people to be aware of Alzheimer disease, especially adults who have a family member in late adulthood. If people were to have knowledge on how to help or treat someone who has Alzheimer disease it would be beneficial for both of them and it would make living together much easier. Many people don’t know what Alzheimer disease is “Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. The risk of AD increases with age” (Takashi 2015). As someone ages they are most likely to get Alzheimer disease, this due to generalized degeneration of the brain. Alzheimer’s is a complex disease with multiple risk factors. Age and genetics are outside ones control, but many others are within your sphere of influence. These factors can be quite powerful when it comes to your brain health. I personally feel like I am well educated about this topic because school has done a very good job at teaching me how to deal and understanding people who have Alzheimer. Psychology has done a great job at helping understand this disease even further. The reason why I picked this topic was to try and find different ways to prevent and learn about Alzheimer disease because I have a great grandmother who has Alzheimer’s disease. My parents and grandparents would always tell me how difficult it is for them to help her out and have to deal with all her necessities. They would have to take turns taking care of her until they decided to hire someone to come take care of her.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) can be described as a neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive physical and cognitive decline.1 AD which is mostly seen in the elderly, is the most common form of dementia. Dementia can be described as the loss of the brain’s ability to function in multiple ways in a person who is awake or alert. Dementia includes memory loss and also affects a person’s ability to speak, read, write, listen, and complete certain tasks.1 Dementia can have a tremendous impact on one’s behavior and emotions and can range from being a mild case to being totally disabling. There are several types of dementia with AD being the most common, which primarily affects the elderly and is usually irreversible and non-curable. Although not all dementia is AD, it does however account for up to fifty to seventy-five percent of dementia cases.2 Over 5 million Americans have AD, and it is estimated that by the year 2050 this number will have increased up to 14 million.2 One out of every ten people, ages sixty-five years and older develops AD and some may even develop the disease in their forty’s and fifty’s.2
In 1906, Dr. Alois Alzheimer had a patient named Auguste D. He described this patient by saying she had “profound memory loss and unfounded suspicions about family” (Alzheimer, 1906). After his patient had died, he performed an autopsy to rule the cause of death. Alzheimer claims he found “dramatic shrinkage and abnormal deposits in and around the nerve cells”. His findings set new standards for understanding neuro-degenerative disorders around the world. In 1910, this newly discovered abnormality was coined as “Alzheimer’s Disease” (healthline.com). Researching soon ensued and scientists now had more information than ever. In 1976, Alzheimer’s was recognized as the most common cause of dementia. By 1984 Beta-amyloid was found present in brain
Alzheimer is a silent disease that primarily attacks the brain having the effect of the gradual memory loss of the patient, what this means is that Alzheimer is the most common form of dementia, which is a loss of brain function that occurs with certain diseases in this case combined with Alzheimer’s patients suffers from memory loss and other intellectual abilities that interfere with daily life. Alzheimer patients cannot follow instructions, suffers confusion and disorientation in time and space, and may even become lost in familiar places for them. In addition, the person may have impaired judgment, confuse their loved ones and in many cases even unknown themselves, in other words, patients
Alzheimer’s Disease • Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia. • It occurs from changes in the nerve cells of the brain. • No one knows what causes Alzheimer’s. It cannot be cured and will not go away. • Signs include memory loss, confusion, poor judgment, and changes in language.
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a type of dementia that is irreversible and it causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. The symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. (“Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia,” n.d.). Dementia is a term for a decrease in the intellectual ability which it can be severe enough to interfere with an individual’s day to day life. The German neurologist Alois Alzheimer was the first person to label and decode the symptoms of Alzheimer 's disease. In 1901 Alois did a study on a woman named Auguste Deter. She was 51 years of age and she was having problems with memory and other psychological problems.
Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. The purpose of this paper is to discuss medical definition, etiology, signs and symptoms, stages of disease progression, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is Ultimately fatal.
First described by German physician, Alois Alzheimer, in the early 1900s, Alzheimer’s disease is now the fourth most prevalent cause of death- after heart disease, cancer, and stroke (AD- a guide for families). Most common in adults 65 or older, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is regarded as “a loss of intellectual abilities sufficient enough to interfere with everyday social and occupational functioning” (AD- a guide for families). Victims of AD are unable to think abstractly, find similarities and differences between related words, and have trouble defining words and concepts. Other common symptoms include disturbances in language, or aphasia, an inability to carry out motor activities, or apraxia, and a failure to recozinge or identify
Dementia is considered to be discovered by a German psychiatrist by the name of Alois Alzheimer. This discovery was made during the process of his examination of a patient with unusual behavior. In that discovery he found similarities that are linked to having Alzheimer’s disease. Dementia is known as being a slow, yet steady decline of one’s mental ability. The disease eventually becomes so severe that it will interfere with one’s daily living ability. This is not one specific disease, but a term used overall describing a wide range of symptoms associated with the declination in thinking skills, and memory. There are two major types of Dementia that are most commonly seen. These types are Alzheimer’s disease, and vascular
Alzheimer's sickness is the most widely recognized reason for dementia. It takes its name from the therapist Alois Alzheimer, who in the mid twentieth century was the main individual to portray the illness. After some time, individuals who have Alzheimer's lose their memory and capacity to think. Introduction in space and time turn out to be progressively troublesome, and it is likewise harder for them to oversee alone in regular daily existence. Those influenced require more help as the infection advances.