Lzheimer's Disease: A Case Study

Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, accounting for 65–70% of all cases (Jellinger, Janetzky, Attems, & Kienzl, 2008). The other dementias are of the Parkinson 's group, the fronto-temporal group and the vascular group. The total worldwide yearly costs for the treatment and care of patients suffering from dementia are estimated to be around 250 billion US dollars. The lifetime risk for AD between the ages of 65 and 100 is 33% for men and 45% for women with an annual increase of 1–2% in the seventh decade to almost 60% in the 10th decade with doubling every 5 years (Jellinger et al., 2008). AD is incurable, and thus represents a major public health problem. AD represents a challenge to humanity due to its relatively recent discovery, progressive nature of the illness, and complex diagnosis.

Dementia, also known as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), is a progressive, chronic, and degenerative. 60% of dementia occurs in people over the age of 65. Dementia causes loss of judgment, memory, change in personality, and visuospatial perception. Severe cognitive impairment can occur over time, as well as physical deterioration and death.

Memories start to disappear; learning, thinking, and planning become more difficult in the mild to moderate stage of the disease. The plaques and tangles begin to spread to other areas of the brain essential for speaking, forming words, and understanding speech. Spatial orientation areas of the brain begin to diminish. An analogy of a piece of fruit rotting from the inside out can be drawn. Because changes in behaviors and personality become apparent, it is at this stage AD is often diagnosed. However, there is not a definite diagnosis available for a living patient at this time and is only verified with an autopsy. (Edmund G. Howe, 2006) This mild to moderate stage of AD last between 2 to 10 years as more tangles and plaques are formed destroying more neurons in more areas of the brain. The brain literally begins to shrink. The ability to perform the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) such as meal preparation, home and money management progressively deteriorates. By the latter stages of AD, the damage to the entire cerebral cortex affects the most basic functions of the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) of eating and dressing oneself and most the basic elements of personal hygiene as bathing and using the toilet. The individual with AD becomes a shell of the person they once were and may lose the ability to recognize their dearest loved ones. In the final stages, lasting 1 to 5

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).

Diagnosis is based on performance in tests, such as the memory impairment screen (MIS) or the General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition (GPCOG), to determine cognitive function and based on recommended guidelines as published by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) (Grossberg et al., 2010). Due to the slowly progressive nature of AD it is possible that diagnosis is not made during the mild or even moderate stages of the disease, which could have effects of the effectiveness of currently available treatments; thus the current recommendation is routine annual screening for development of AD.

This stage of AD is characterized by memory, thinking and behavioral symptoms that dramatically impair an individual ability to function normally. These symptoms are caused by AD related brain changes and affect an individual’s ability to perform everyday tasks (cite).

Although Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most widely known cause of dementia in the elderly population, there are many other explanations and clinical diagnoses that

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 85. (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)

“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.

Alzheimer's is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. It is the most common form of Dementia which is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases. Based on 2018 Alzheimer’s Association statistics, there are more than 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s over the age of 65 (Alzheimer’s Association, 2018). Many scientists state the death rate for heart disease has declined by 11% while death by Alzheimer’s has raised by 123% (Alzheimer’s Association, 2018). It is considered to be the 6th leading cause of death in the United States (Alzheimer’s Association, 2018). Alzheimer’s disease(AD) is an abnormal aging

“I want to tell you how much I miss my mother. Bits of her are still there. I miss her most when I’m sitting across from her,” (Crowley, Candy. October 21st, 2014). This quote refers specifically to Alzheimer’s, which is defined as progressive mental deterioration that can occur in middle or old age, due to generalized degeneration of the brain. It is the most common cause of premature senility. However, Alzheimer’s is merely only a form of many debilitating diseases under the umbrella of Dementia, defined as a chronic or persistent disorder of the mental processes caused by brain disease or injury and marked by memory disorders, personality changes, and impaired reasoning. Some Examples of these disorders include: Vascular dementia, Frontotemporal dementia (Pick 's disease), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and of course as was previously for mentioned, Alzheimer 's disease. Each form of dementia will be discussed in depth including their symptoms, treatments, and their histories.

Alzheimer 's Disease (AD) is a standout amongst the most widely recognized of the dementia-affecting sicknesses. Alzheimer 's is a dynamic, degenerative ailment that assaults the mind;

Dementia is a progressive brain dysfunction. In Latin, 'dementia ' means irrationality, which results in a restriction of daily activities. Alzheimer’s disease was first identified more than 100 years ago, but research into its symptoms, causes, risk factors and treatment has only progressed in the last several years. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, in 1906, German physician Alois Alzheimer was “one of the first to link

My genetic disorders name is Alzhemiers Disease. It causes the person to lose memory.The people over 60 can have this disease. It cause the person also to have confusion. Other names for this disease is AD, Alzhemier dementia,and DAT. The things that can cause the disorder is. Is having brain cell death, the tissue will start having fewer nerve cells,and the brain size will start to shrink. The prenatal tests show that there will be a high risk for mutations. It is unlikely performed unless of the family members are diagnosed. They treat it by doing blood tests and Urine tests. They also rule out possible causes. It can be prevented by salmon,tuna,and trout. The medical assistance children need Safety at home, Benefits of exercise,and Eating

Another clue may be the effects the aging process has on the brain as it is harming the neurons in the brain causing the disease (NIA, 2012). Regardless of the cause, AD is a life altering disease in every aspect of the victim’s life.