Burden of Alzheimer’s Disease High and Growing Essay

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, which slowly and steadily impairs the mental function and psychological competence. Even though there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, current treatment patterns and research aim to delay the progression towards dementia and the associated symptoms. The strongest risk factor for this disease is increased age, typically seen in individuals over the age of 65, but it must be noted that Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of the aging process.

Alzheimer’s affects everyone differently, it has no set progression, but there are three general stages that it is often separated into. In the early-stages (mild stage) of the disease the symptoms are not easily noticeable and are often confused with normal aging. The symptoms and changes of someone with mild Alzheimer’s is often only noticed by close friends and family members. Common symptoms in the early-stage include having trouble remembering names or words, losing objects, forgetting recent events and difficulty expressing thoughts. Many people at this stage can still drive, work and live independently.

There are a number of different stages of Alzheimer’s disease which affect different aspects of a person life.

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia and the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. This neurological condition is brought on by the malfunction or death of neurons in the brain, causing changes to one’s memory, behavior, and ability to think and reason logically and clearly. There is no cure for the disease and very little available to treat the symptoms. While AD was discovered over 100 years ago by German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer, it has only been in the last few decades that research and science have started to understand the inner workings of the neurological degeneration and possible hypothesis as to its cause. However, the physiologic changes that trigger the change in neurons still remains unknown. AD worsens as it progresses and life expectancy following diagnosis is approximately seven years; fewer than three percent of individuals will live more than 15 years after their diagnosis (Mölsä, Martlla, Rinne, 1995).

Every 67 seconds someone in the United States develops Alzheimer's Disease. It is the most common form of dementia. Dementia is the decline of mental ability severe enough to affect daily living. Some symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease include memory loss, changes in problem solving, confusion with time and place, deficits in identifying familiar objects and people, decreased judgement, and changes in mood and personality. Symptoms develop with time and gradually worsen as the disease spreads. It begins as mild forgetfulness and progresses to full on brain impairment. The brain changes chemically and structurally and destroys one’s ability

Alzheimer’s disease is categorized by slight impaired memory to severe cognitive loss (Mayeux, 2010). This can be seen by a loss in retaining new memories as well as a decrease in language, reasoning and decision making (Mayeux, 2010). This disease is progressive and patients only get worse with time and it finally ends in death with both mental and functional disabilities (Mayeux, 2010). This is seen mainly in people 65 and older and studies have shown that age and aging is the highest risk factor for the developing the disease (Lundkvist, 2014).

In a scholarly article written by Wayne McCormick, it discusses the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s. The study used patients that were in the University of Washington Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Registry. In the study, they took individuals who were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and individuals who did not have disease like Alzheimer’s or dementia. The study took place to see if when the elderly start to complain about memory problems, if that can be useful in an early evaluation of having Alzheimer’s. After the study, results showed that symptoms of cognitive impairment were evident at an average of six months in 95% of the cases, 77% were in non-demented cases and 6% was in the control cases. People with Alzheimer’s disease do complain of symptoms clearly related to cognitive impairment early in the course of illness, but may under-report common symptoms not suggestive of cognitive impairment, even though their comorbidity is similar to patients without dementia

Alzheimer’s disease is defined as a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. This progressive disease consists of memory loss and the loss of cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily tasks of everyday life. Common things patients with Alzheimer's might forget are their loved ones, how to dress themselves, using the toilet, or feeding themselves. This heart breaking diseases causes brain tissue break down and, generally 1 in 10 people who are over 65 get diagnosed with it. Getting diagnosed with Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging. There is not enough research to know why some people get it and others don’t. This disease kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is part of a group of diseases called dementia and it is the most typical type of dementia, making up about 60-80% of total dementia types. This disease is becoming more and more prevalent as people’s lifespan increases, because of the ever-advancing medical field. Additionally, the total number of Alzheimer’s cases is expected to double over the next 20 years. Most generally, it affects people over the age of 65, but can affect people as young as the age of 40 and is the 5th leading cause of death for the elderly. Once diagnosed, a patient normally lives 1 to 10 years and in some unusual cases, up to 20 years.

In the second stage of the disease, moderate Alzheimer’s, memory loss becomes even worse. Patients begin to forget who their close relatives and friends are. They also have more difficulty in speaking, conscious thought, reasoning, and carrying out more difficult tasks such as putting on clothes or showering. At this point, the disease has spread further throughout the brain and plaques and tangles are much more common. The affected regions of brain tissue now begin to shrink as the neurons that control them die off. The disease is more spread throughout the brain here but is not yet completely

Alzheimer's disease is a devastating disorder of the brain, it is the most common cause of dementia, and the leading cause of death in women in the UK (Gallagher, 2014). Alzheimers is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, that occurs in a middle to old age person. Its symptoms slowly deteriorate the brains functions until it eventually results in death. The most common symptom of Alzheimers disease is progressive memory loss. As the disease progresses patients begin to demonstrate poor judgment and their inability to take carry out daily tasks. They develop a strong sense of confusion not recognising familiar people, places or things in their lives and soon develop problems with speech/language and frequent changes in mood. At this point,

Alzheimer's disease is a neurological disorder in which the death of brain cells causes memory loss and cognitive decline, it is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. It is the most common type of dementia, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of cases of dementia in the United States (Clark Etal.,2016). In 2013 6.8 million people in the U.S. had been diagnosed with dementia. Of those 6.8 million, 5 million were diagnosed with Alzheimer's. By 2050, the numbers are expected to double. ( Mckhann Etal.,2011)

Imagine your greatest fear of a loved one growing old. Could it be a fear of your dearest going through tremendous pain and suffering, or perhaps just the fear of him or her dying? Now imagine that this loved one, with whom you have shared many wonderful memories, no longer recognizes you. It kind of worries you a bit now, doesn’t it? Although Alzheimer’s disease can be very hard on those stricken and their families, do not feel as if your case is a hopeless one. There are studies being conducted as to the cause and possible prevention methods of this disease. One such study has taken place at the convent of the School Sisters of Notre Dame on Good Counsel Hill in

In the light of being a powerful disease, Alzheimer is divided in three main stages. These stages go from mild to severe. Each and everyone of these stages comes with different symptoms. For example in the early stage of Alzheimer's, in concordance with the Alzheimer's association, the person can still function independently. He or she may still drive, work and be part of social activities. However, the person may feel as if they are having memory lapses, as in forgetting words that are familiar to them or the location of everyday objects. Noticing these signals can be difficult for family or friends. That is why when a detailed medical interview was conducted, doctors were be able to detect problems in memory and concentration. Some common

As a society, we are constantly faced with negative news about different diseases and genetic disorders. One genetic disorder that has affected the lives of many is, Alzheimer’s Disease. Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia that affects and causes problems with thinking, behavior and memory. Most of the time, symptoms of Alzheimer’s develop slowly and progress and worsen over time. Eventually the symptoms become severe enough that they begin to interfere with normal and daily tasks. It was originally thought that Alzheimer’s was a result of aging, but it has been found that there is actually something called early onset Alzheimer’s which affects people in their 40s and 50s, instead of the normal age of 65 and older (1).