Down Syndrome: The Cause Of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer’s disease has been around since 1901; a German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer was the first man to identify and follow a case that is now known as Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is involved in synaptic deterioration and neuronal cell death, and causes degeneration in the hippocampus and amyloid deposition in blood vessels, ultimately cell death is the cause of the disease. There are various ways that someone can acquire the Alzheimer’s, a few include; family history, obesity, and Down syndrome. Some symptoms of the disease are, memory loss, difficulty completing familiar daily tasks, confusion with

Down syndrome occurs in people who were born with three, rather than two, copies of the 21st chromosome. This extra genetic material is what brings about the effects of Down’s syndrome. It is often characterized by an impairment of cognitive (process of thought) ability. Most people with Down syndrome have lower than average, mild to moderate, cognitive ability and this cannot be predicted at birth. A smaller number fall into the severe impairment range. Physically, people with Down’s syndrome are smaller in stature, have less muscle tone, and have noticeably different facial features. The number of these births occurs approximately in one out of every one thousand (ndss.org). As of 2007, the number of people in the United States with Down syndrome stood at about 350,000. These numbers will shrink because now (most) potential parents can know the condition of the fetus early. This information is included to let the reader relate to the struggles that some with Down syndrome goes through.

Due to advances in medical technology, individuals with Down syndrome are living longer than ever before. In 1910, children with Down syndrome were expected to survive to age nine. With the discovery of antibiotics, the average survival age increased to 19 or 20. Now, with recent advancements in clinical treatment, most particularly corrective heart surgeries, as many

Thousands of babies are born a day in the United States. One out every 691 babies born has Down syndrome, a disorder caused by an extra copy of the chromosome twenty one. In short, this syndrome shortens the person’s life span, and causes assorted severity of mental retardation. Those carrying this extra chromosome have flattened noses, rounder faces, are petite in size, and are much more prone to additional unhealthy disturbances or effects on substantial systems in the body.

Prognosis is another term used in the medical field that explains the outcome or course of a condition. Fortunately, the prognosis of Down syndrome has increasingly been better today than in past years. “The life expectancy for people with Down syndrome has increased substantially” (United Cerebral Palsy, n.d.). In 1929, the average lifespan was nine years old and today it is more common for them to live well beyond the age of 50 years old (United Cerebral Palsy, n.d.). “Many are able to hold jobs, live independently with support and their social functioning often exceeds intellectual functioning” (Gene Facts, n.d.). Because their social functioning is well above the other skills in their lives, many individuals with Down syndrome are form

Down syndrome is not an illness but known as a genetic condition where there is an extra chromosome 21 (Chang & Johnson, 2014). People who are affected by this condition experience cognitive delays. The most common is the intellectual disability (ID), which involves difficulty in problem solving, intellectual reasoning, communicating to express themselves, talking to other people, and performing activities of daily living (Gluck, 2014). Based on the research, they are also at high risk of developing several medical conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes because they are more exposed to risk impacts such as absence of activity and poor dietary patterns and become overweight (Tracey, 2011).

More than five million are living with Alzheimer’s disease in the United States and the number is set to almost triple by the year 2050. It is common in the elderly and generally occurs in persons over 65 years of age, but early onset of Alzheimer’s has also been documented (“Alzheimer’s disease facts,” 2016, para. 1). It starts in the medial temporal area of the brain, usually in the hippocampus, and then spreads to other areas of the brain. Blows (2011) explains, “Alois Alzheimer was a German psychiatrist who in 1906 described a dementia with two specific changes found in the brain after death... these changes were the presence of extracellular plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles and these became the hallmarks of this disease” (p. 286). Loss of neurons takes place and amyloid plaques form. This is due to build-up of non-functioning proteins and can be observed by imaging techniques (Radin, 2003, p. 41). There are many risk factors that increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The greatest risk factor is family history, but other risk factors include diabetes, hypertension obesity, hyperlipidemia, smoking, depression, physical inactivity, low estrogen levels, and head trauma (Huether & McCance, 2014, p. 546). The actual cause of Alzheimer’s is unknown, but there are genes associated with it that make the disease heritable. What is clear is that

Early-onset Alzheimer’s is a rare, but fast stage of Alzheimer’s disease. According to Glenn E. Smith, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist at Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn. (2014), Early-onset Alzheimer’s is an uncommon form of dementia that strikes about 5 percent of patients with symptoms before the age of 65. This form of Alzheimer’s has been known to develop between the ages 30 and 40, but that’s very uncommon (Smith 2014). Scientists do not have an explanation of why people get the disease younger than others. Early-onset Alzheimer’s that is hereditary in family members is connected to three different genes that differ from the APOE gene that can increase your risk of Alzheimer’s in general (Smith 2014). The innate conduit of inheritance is much stronger in early-onset Alzheimer’s (Smith 2014). If one has a genetic mutation

Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative, cognitive disease that affects 5.2 million people in America. Many specialists have concerns because our society is living longer. It’s imperative we understand this disease because of the multitude of people it affects. A defining factor of this disease is that it becomes severe enough to inhibit activities of daily living. There are three distinct types of Alzheimer’s: early onset, late onset, and familial. Late onset is what most people think of when they think of Alzheimer’s as it mostly occurs after the ages of 65. Early onset, as the name implies, occurs before the age of 65. This form of Alzheimer’s occurs highly in people with Down’s syndrome. Familial is an inherited form of Alzheimer’s. This

Conclusion I. Thesis Restatement: Down syndrome is the most common genetic disorder in the United States and it accounts for much of the learning disabilities found in children today. Every person with down syndrome can display different characteristics, including physical, intellectual, and emotional characteristics. There is no cure for down syndrome but its symptoms are treatable and much can be done to improve the lives of those with the disorder. II. Review: There are three forms of Down syndrome, with three different variations of having an extra chromosome 21. Although there are three different types, they all portray the same characteristics and all individuals with the disorder should receive individualized care based on their disorder.

As an individual grows older there are many signs of aging, which occur. There are common areas of decline in cognition such as some loss of hearing, vision, and working memory that are considered part of the normal aging process. When these symptoms start to worsen and vastly impair everyday tasks, the consideration of a form of dementia is brought forward. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a brain disease, is the most common type of dementia, and affects majority of people 60 years or older (1,14). It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, which only continues to worsen over time. Each individual is affected differently with symptoms and the progression. As of right now there is no cure for it (14).

After trying for many years, a woman was successful in becoming pregnant. As a component of one of her routine pre-natal appointments, she was tested for fetal abnormalities. A blood test confirmed that her baby has Down syndrome and her physician recommended aborting the fetus. Down syndrome is a chromosomal abnormality that leads to intellectual disability, weak muscle tone and a unique facial characteristic. Down syndrome children often have increased risks for heart defects and other medical conditions such as gastric reflux. Taking care of a child with Down syndrome can be both mentally and physically exhausting. Taking care of a child with Down syndrome can be equally rewarding.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a disease that slowly and progressively causes memory impairment. It will eventually inhibit abilities, such as language, planning, and perception. AD is prevalent in individuals with Down syndrome (DS), a condition where those affected had acquired three additional chromosome 21 before birth (emedicinehealth, 2014). Michael Rafii, director of the Memory Disorders Clinic at UCSD, says that “people with Down syndrome represent the world 's largest population of individuals predisposed to getting Alzheimer 's disease” (Hamilton, 2014). There is no cure for either, and scientists are still lacking the knowledge of a complete story.

Alzheimer’s Disease is 56% of the cause of dementia, which is characterized as a decline in memory language, problem solving, and other cognitive skills that affect a person’s ability to perform everyday tasks. (Petersen 2002) AD was first identified over 100 years ago, but it actually took about 70 years for it to be recognized as the most common form of dementia. (Alzheimer’s Association 2016) Although much has been researched and discovered about AD to help diagnose and treat the disease, much is yet to be discovered about the precise biological changes the causes Alzheimer’s and why it progresses more quickly in some than others. Scientists and doctors around the world have a common goal of discovering ways to stop of prevent this genetically

There has only been one way to confirm if a person suffering from dementia truly had Alzheimer’s disease, an autopsy after death. Alzheimer’s disease has been found to leave a distinct effect on the human brain. The disease has been found to cause significant brain shrinkage. Neurological plaques and tangles have been the distinct lasting effect from the disease. Large deposits of the protein beta-amyloid have been associated with the neurological plaques, and abnormal tangles that lead to a failed transport system have been found all those suffering from the disease (Alzheimer’s Association, n.d.).