Rapidly Progressive Alzheimer's Disease: A Case Study

The disease called Alzheimer’s is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States (Weiner, 1987). It is estimated that the elderly population will double between now and 2030. During this period, the number of elderly will grow by an average of 2.8% annually (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). By 2050, the number of people with Alzheimer’s is estimated to range from 11.3 million to 16 million (Alzheimer’s Association, 2005). These startling numbers should prompt an examination into one of the leading causes of death among this group of people. Understanding what Alzheimer’s is and the known causes of the disease are a good starting point. For those who have aging family members, knowing the risk factors and warning

Alzheimer’s disease in many ways is not yet defined. It is a progressive disease afflicting between 5 and 15 percent of people over 65. Additionally, it is not restricted to the elderly, reportedly having

Alzheimer 's disease (AD) is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain from which there is no recovery. There are three brain abnormalities that are the hallmarks of the Alzheimer’s disease is initially caused by plaques buildup in the brain’s neurons as illustrated in figure 1. The support structure that allows the flow of the nutrients through the neurons gets damaged and ultimately there is loss of connection among the neurons and they die off (National Institute of Health, 2015). This causes the brain tissue to shrinks, which is called atrophies. All this ultimately lead the victim of this disease to face difficulties in governing emotions, recognize errors and patterns, coordinate movement, and remember. Ultimately, a person with AD loses all memory and mental functioning.

Alzheimer’s disease was discovered by Alois Alzheimer, a German psychiatrist and neuropathologist. The disease was initially observed in a 51-year-old woman, after her family brought her to Dr. Alzheimer with concerns about her personality and behavior. He detected many unusual symptoms, including difficulty with

Alzheimer’s disease is the progressive loss of memory and mental functions. The disease affects memory, thought control, language, and other cognitive functions. The disease typically appears with old age and is often found age 60. Alzheimer’s causes the brain to develop clumps and tangles fibers in the brain tissue along with the loss of neuron connections. Throughout the brain, proteins are abnormally distributed and they form tangled bundles of fibers and amyloid plaques. Some neurons fail to function properly and lose their connections, which are necessary for the transmission of messages to the body. The hippocampus is the key brain structure in the formation of memories and often experiences the first signs of damage.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive decline in cognitive function. It affects the brain by damaging brain cells resulting in a decreased in cognitive function, physical mobility, swallowing and fine motor skills. This disease approximately 5.1 million Americans aged sixty-five or older (Alzheimer 's Association, 2015) of which approximately 700,000 will likely die this year (Alzheimer 's Association, 2015) of related symptoms such as aspiration pneumonia due to decreased swallowing ability. The progression of this disease is consistent and cannot be cured or slowed (Alzheimer 's Association, 2015). According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s is one of the most expensive chronic disease in the United States estimating a cost of 226 billion dollars per year (Alzheimer 's Association, 2015). This debilitating disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States (Alzheimer 's Association, 2015).

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)

Alzheimer’s, the most relevant cause of Dementia, is a disease that affects as many as 4.5 million Americans per year (WebMD 2005-2014). Alzheimer’s is a disease that is an irremediable, continuous brain neuron degenerative disease that can be asymptomatic at first and then overtime becomes symptomatic. Alzheimer’s is a gradual disease that advances in three phases: mild, then moderate, and, finally, severe (1). Symptoms appear after the age of 60 and include: the slow destruction of memory and thought processes, and ultimately ends with the absent ability to do normal everyday duties. These symptoms can be anything from forgetting a recent event, or can be as problematic as forgetting the name of a family member. There are many daily

Alzheimer’s is a common disease. More than three million cases of Alzheimer’s come up each year. People of age sixty years and older are largely affected, with rare genetic changes connected to the early start of Alzheimer's

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).

Alzheimer’s disease is a serious progressive disease. There is no cure for it. There have been an estimated 5.3 million people that had this disease in 2015. 5.1 million of those people were 65 years old or older. 200,000 of those people where under 65 and had the detection of the early stages of Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s Association (2015) Early detection of this disease is important and imperative in the treatment. Many patients that are suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease don’t find out from their doctor till it is in their progressive stage. Alzheimer’s is classified as one of the costliest diseases in society. Total estimated cost of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease is 226 billion dollars. 153 billion is the cost to Medicaid

Alzheimer's disease typically develops slowly and progressively gets worse over time. It affects the brain area, including one’s memory, thinking, judgment, language, problem-solving, personality and movement (Kurz, 2012). There are five stages associated with Alzheimer's disease which include (a) preclinical Alzheimer's disease, (b) mild cognitive impairment, (c) mild dementia due to Alzheimer's, (d) moderate dementia due to Alzheimer's and (e) severe dementia due to Alzheimer's (Kurz, 2012). Looking at the situation of the 77-years old woman, she is categorized to be in the mild dementia stages where memory loss, changes in personality, wandering, difficulty in expressing thought is occurring. Individuals at this stage are well monitored; they have a hard time remembering recent events or newly learned information while they repeatedly ask the same question over and over. They become socially challenged and isolated with possibility of displaying feelings of anger, guilt and irritability. It is very common for them to get lost in familiar places and can become agitated and hostile

Everyone forgets things, although there is a more severe form of memory loss called Alzheimer’s. This disease is a horrible thing to watch happen to someone, especially a loved one. Although it is more common in individuals that are older, it can happen to anyone.

Alzheimer 's disease is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other vital mental functions. Alzheimer 's disease is the most common cause of dementia, a group of brain disorders that cause the loss of intellectual and social skills. AD can eventually render a person unable to function in society and to even care for themselves. Since the disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States constant research is being done to try to prevent it and to find a cure. Alzheimer 's disease (AD) is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions and is the most common form of dementia. Alzheimer 's disease is the most common cause of dementia — a group of brain disorders that cause the loss of

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive mental deterioration that can happen in middle or old age, due to generalized degeneration of the brain. Alzheimer’s disease is one form of dementia that gets harmful over time. Dementia is a loss of brain function that occurs with other diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Scientists believe that Alzheimer’s disease results from genetics, lifestyle, and environmental factors that impact the brain. Alzheimer’s disease damages and kills brain cells and it also leads to brain shrinkage. In the brain tissue there are two types of abnormalities that are considered toward the disease, Plaques and Tangles. Plaques are clumps of proteins that may hurt and destroy brain cells. Tangles are a system that requires the normal structure and functioning of a protein. There are many symptoms when it comes to Alzheimer’s disease. For example, memory, you forget conversations you had, misplace possessions, and eventually will forget the names of everyday objects and family members. Overtime you forget how to speak, write, and think. There are also changes in the personality such as depression, anxiety, mood swings, changes in sleeping habits, and even wandering. There are two drugs that are used to slow down the process of Alzheimer’s since they have not found a cure. The first drug is called Cholinesterase Inhibitors, which is a drug for boosting levels of a cell-to-cell communication. The second drug is called Memantine, which works with another brain