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Paper On Alzheimer's Disease

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The gradual slipping away of mind and memory is frightening and frustrating, both for the person with the disease and for family and friends. This is ideally some of the symptoms of the deadly disease of Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia, a disease that according to the Alzheimer's disease Education & Referral Center is defined as: “…a group of symptoms that are caused by changes in brain function”. According to the National Institute on Aging in a book entitled “Alzheimer’s Disease, Unraveling the mystery” the authors chronicled that Alzheimer’s disease affect people in different ways. The most common and noticeable symptoms are: 1). Memory loss that disrupts daily life 2). Challenges in planning or solving problems …show more content…

Alzheimer later described Auguste D as having an aggressive form of dementia, manifesting in memory, language and behavioral deficits. Dr. Alzheimer noted many other abnormal symptoms, including difficulty with speech, agitation, and confusion. He followed her care for five years, until her death in 1906. Following her death, Dr. Alzheimer performed an autopsy, during which he found dramatic shrinkage of the cerebral cortex, fatty deposits in blood vessels, and atrophied brain cells. He discovered neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques, which have become indicative of Alzheimer’s disease. The condition was first discussed in medical literature in 1907 and named after Alzheimer in …show more content…

That is to say, age is a significant risk factor for the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s disease, and research indicates that the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease doubles every five years beyond age 65. Those at the greatest risk for this malady are individuals over 85 years old which will see their statistics tripled by 2050. It is further estimated that about a half million Americans younger than age 65 have some form of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. (This is referred to as young onset or early onset). (National Institute of Health [NIH], 2013). Consequently Alzheimer’s disease is further considered to be a grave issue in aging as it is reported to be the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. As said by Vera (2013) in a print publication entitled “Mortality From Alzheimer's Disease in the United States: Data for 2000 and

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