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Essay On Aging And Dementia

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Researchers at the University of California-San Francisco discovered a correlation between age, anemia and dementia, according to an article in USA Today titled, “Older adults with anemia face increased dementia risk.” This 11-year study revealed interesting and alarming data about the groups studied. Individuals who were anemic at the commencement of the study were 40 percent more susceptible to develop dementia as they reached 65 years of age with progression thereafter, as opposed to the same age groups of those who did not suffer from anemia. Aging is inevitable; however, this new development does not provide a positive perspective towards the future for someone like me. According to the American Society of Hematology, approximately 35 million people in the United States are over the age of 65, and almost 10 percent of this population is currently anemic. Anemia occurs when red blood cell counts drop, or when red blood cells do not contain enough hemoglobin. In chapter seven of Biology Today and Tomorrow without Psychology, we learned hemoglobin is an oxygen-binding protein in red blood cells that consists of four polypeptides (2-alpha globins & 2-beta globins). Each globin holds a cofactor called a heme, and each heme has an iron …show more content…

No one wants to retire at 65 or older only to be succumbed by dementia due to anemia. Research on reversing or preventing anemia should be investigated and funded by the private sector. The primary focus of the private sector is to monopolize a market segment and make money. If they develop a cure, they get a patent and make a profit, while helping people at the same time. I understand there are worse diseases that need to be wiped out such as all types of cancers and, that some may not see anemic as a priority. My wish is that all diseases are curable and no one has to

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