The Cause Of Alzheimer's Disease

When it comes to Alzheimer’s, I know firsthand how it affects individuals and their families. My great grandfather had Alzheimer’s for many years before his passing late last year, at age 92. Alzheimer’s is a disease that many individuals suffer with each year, but yet with all the advancements in modern medicine we still have no cure for it. There are different ways to conquer this disease, understanding the causes, knowing effects, and researching possible treatments.

“There is one thing Alzheimer 's cannot take away, and that is love. Love is not a memory - it 's a feeling that resides in your heart and soul.” (Fade to Blank). The human brain is a remarkably complex organ that processes, stores, and recalls information. “Alzheimer 's disease (AD) is a slowly progressive disease of the brain that is characterized by impairment of memory and eventually by disturbances in reasoning, planning, language, and perception. Many scientists believe that Alzheimer 's disease results from an increase in the production or accumulation of a specific protein (beta-amyloid protein) in the brain that leads to nerve cell death.” (Crystal). It is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases, and currently has no cure. (# 3) Research continues to be done to develop better ways to care for those affected with the disease, as well as to find support for family members, friends, and caregivers. Alzheimer’s is a devastating illness that is not a normal part of aging. In order to find a cure, awareness needs to increase to improve understanding, develop effective treatments, and to essentially prevent the disease.

Alzheimer’s disease begins with memory loss, particularly short-term memory, and can end in loss of all cognitive function. Other losses include the ability to learn, to orient oneself to time and place, and to concentrate. Later, personality and behavioral problems develop such as irritability, agitation, and restlessness. Mood changes occur as well causing depression, frustration, anxiety, hostility, and mood swings. For some it can cause motor changes such as rigidity. Some of the worst possibilities include hallucinations and delusions, but usually that is not until the later stages. Nutrition is a big concern for those with Alzheimer’s as they may refuse to eat (Huether & McCance, 2014, p. 549). There are not many drugs used for Alzheimer’s disease. Mostly drugs are prescribed to treat the symptoms or mood changes such as psychotropic medications. The only drugs that are specifically for Alzheimer’s do not arrest the disease, but instead have a small chance at slowing it down. These drugs include Donepezil, Galantamine, and Rivastigmine are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors that cause less breakdown of acetylcholine and therefore higher levels of acetylcholine in the brain circuits that are lacking this neurotransmitter due to neuronal cell death. Side effects of these drugs include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, insomnia, and rarely syncope (Blows, 2011, p. 296). Other

Alzheimer’s is a difficult disease for everyone to understand. This disease has diverse effects on each person diagnosed with it. Considering that the symptoms are similar to other diseases and syndromes, it may be hard to know the initial cause of the disease itself. Knowing if someone truly has Alzheimer’s only comes after the person’s death and an autopsy is performed on the brain. By better understanding the disease with information that we already have, it will help further assist alongside someone who is undergoing this destructive process.

Alzheimer’s is defined as “A degenerative brain disease of unknown cause that is the most common form of dementia, that usually starts in late middle age or in old age, that results in progressive memory loss, impaired thinking, disorientation, and changes in personality and mood…” (Webster). The Alzheimer’s Association states that more than 5 million American are currently living with Alzheimer’s. It is also the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S.

“It occurred to me that at one point it was like I had two diseases - one was Alzheimer's, and the other was knowing I had Alzheimer's.

According to Alzheimer’s Association there are “more than five million Americans that are living with Alzheimer’s.” (e.g.) Over the years more people have been diagnosed with Alzheimer has increased which is very concerning. Especially, considering that there is still no known cure for it. Although, this is no cure that does stop researchers from looking for ways to prevent the aggressiveness of the disease. Alzheimer’s is a mysterious disease that we know little about, it is important to know what it is, what causes it, and possible treatments.

One of mankind’s greatest threats to its wellbeing is Alzheimer’s disease. This disease has plagued mankind for centuries and mercilessly strips people of their independence and intelligence. What makes this disease so dangerous is the fact that humankind has only recently begun to truly understand how it functions, this means that humankind currently has no defense against said disease. Why does mankind only now understand Alzheimer’s disease if it has been around for centuries? The reason is due to the lack of knowledge of the disease, especially by the public. If one were to go back only fifty years ago they would see just how little attention Alzheimer’s disease received; few people knew about it and even fewer were; concerned enough to actually bother learning about it. Logically this brings to mind the question: what caused this relatively sudden shift in perception of the disease? It is no coincidence that the disease is now widely known and identified as a threat by the public and doctors alike. Several factors caused this shift to happen. Everything starts with properly informing the public about these types of issues, for this reason, this paper will serve the purpose of properly informing the reader on Alzheimer’s disease. To do this, it will go back to the very beginning and trace the timeline of the disease. Once this basic foundation of understanding is created, the paper will begin to delve into the complexities and causes of the disease, and ultimately

A ravenous disease known as Alzheimer’s is a, still, relatively unknown illness. While a fair amount of people may suffer from it eventually in their life, little can be done about it. Research, however, is continually being conducted into this baffling matter. Rendering people completely helpless, Alzheimer’s has claimed the lives of many, including several members of my family long before they would’ve passed normally.

Cholinesterase inhibitors are used to breakdown the acetylcholine, which is a neurotransmitter that is connected to memory, by blocking the enzyme acetylcholinesterase. The donepezil, rivastigmine, and the galantamine are three commonly prescribed cholinesterase inhibitors. The known side effects are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, upset stomach, and dizziness (Wattmo, Londos, & Minthon, 2014). To block the NDMA receptors, the memantine is prescribed to improve cognition and regulate the glutamate that acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain around the learning and memory area. Excessive glutamate could cause damaged, killed nerves. Common side effects of memantine consist of dizziness, confusion, and headaches (Koch, Szecsey, & Haen, 2004). Additional medication can be prescribed to patients with symptoms such as depression, psychosis, disturbed sleep, and apathy. Howes (2014) supported the commonly used drug treatments as he compared AD to the issues of the cardiovascular disease. The reduced blood flow to the brain, the reduction of oxygen, clogged arteries and vessels could damage the brain cells, making the Alzheimer’s disease worse. The treatment of AD reduces some of the effects of the cardiovascular (Howes,

Alzheimer’s disease is among the sixth top leading causes of death in the United States and even with an estimated 4.5 to 5.4 million suffering from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) not much is known about the causes. Only the symptoms are addressed. The main characteristics of AD are degeneration of the ability to remember, reason, communicate and with loss of motor skills and function (Piazza-Gardner, 2013). Cognitive function that is lost and is accompanied by other physiological conditions such as depression, anxiety, irritability, aggression and inappropriate behavior for a setting or location that occur in most AD suffers (Senie, 2014). AD was noted as abnormal clumps and a bundle of proteins in the brain which was discover in patients with

In 1906, Alzheimer’s disease entered the scientific world. Till this day, it is one of the most studied neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers have come a long way with scientific outcomes on the disease, but unfortunately there is no official cure, or a concise reason on how this disease is generated. The disease has been recognized to being genetic and affecting people in their later years, roughly around their sixtieth year. Alzheimer’s disease affects the person’s memory, language, judgment and even their daily tasks. While the disease continues to dramatically progress, it begins to affect all regions of the brain, causing the person to lose almost all of their functions. When the person has reached their final stage, they are no longer able to recognize themselves or their surroundings and would need full time dependent care. According to the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org, 2016), the person may have up to eight years max to live after diagnosis.

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

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting over 40 million people worldwide. Yet, finding a cure is something that still alludes researchers today. Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German psychiatrist, first described the symptoms in 1901 where he noticed that a particular hospital patient had some peculiar problems, including difficulty sleeping, disturbed memory, drastic mood changes, and increase in confusion. When the patient passed away, Alzheimer was able to do an autopsy and test his idea that, perhaps, the patient’s symptoms were caused by irregularities in the brain’s structure. What he found beneath the microscope were visible differences in brain tissue in the form of misfolded proteins called plaques and neurofibrillary

Although age and genetics are the two biggest determining factors of causing Alzheimer’s disease, there are other small factors that can be controlled in order to help lower the risk or the age at which symptoms start to become prominent. Several scientists are digging into prevention strategies such as diet, exercise, and “brain games” can help delay or prevent Alzheimer’s disease and age-related cognitive decline. They are also investigating how certain medical conditions, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes, influence risk for cognitive impairment (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). After studying those risk factors, results have demonstrated that certain health and lifestyle factors does not slow down