What is the relationship between gender and Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive degenerative disorder of the brain mainly characterized by memory loss, behavioral changes and cognitive deficits. The disease generally interferes with those parts of the brain that are responsible for memory and learning as a whole. Alzheimer’s disease results when there is an abnormal accumulation of proteins in the brain cells. However, gender appears to play a crucial role when it comes to the disease’s prevalence within the population. Women make up the largest percentage of the entire population of people with Alzheimer’s disease. This could be as a result of numerous factors including women’s general greater longevity as compared to their male counterparts. Another possible explanation is that women are at a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease solely due to their gender. Majority of studies assert that there is an increase in prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease among women. This paper seeks to determine the relationship between gender and Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s disease Due to consistent improvements in healthcare over the past few years the general population lives considerably longer. Consequently, there is a considerable increase in the prevalence of non communicable diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. It is crucial to appreciate the fact that dementia is not a normal part of ageing. Nevertheless, it is mainly associated with ageing. Studies
Throughout this line of study, Alzheimer’s disease is a specific form of dementia. According to Alzheimer’s Association, dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability that is severe enough to hinder daily life. Memory loss is a symptom of dementia and the most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s. One of the most common and severe symptom of Alzheimer’s is difficulty remembering newly learned information. The changes of Alzheimer’s normally begin in the part of the brain that affects learning (Overview Alzheimer's Association). Some other symptoms of Alzheimer’s include gradual memory loss, the decline in capability to carry out everyday tasks and the loss of their language skills. According to Bialystok the rate of
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.
Alzheimer’s disease is a common problem in today’s society and within the older population this disease makes up the largest form of dementia. Although it is a problem in mainly older people, this disease can still occur in the younger population also. People in their 30s-50s can be diagnosed with this disease, even though it is not as common as people in their 60s-90s. The number of people with Alzheimer’s in the U.S. is close to five million and is expected to double within the next 30 years. With our modern medicine and advancements one would think a cure would be available, however, getting to the cause of the disease is a major factor. The cause of Alzheimer’s disease is one that is very debatable and questionable and most likely is a result of multiple factors rather than one. The main issue with finding the cause is because this disease affects the brain and can
Alzheimer’s Disease is a disease of the future. With the growing aged population, this disease, which affects primarily the elderly, will become of increasing relevance to the medical profession. Also, the high frequency of Alzheimer’s, and the high cost in labor, money, and material of caring for its victims shall put considerable burden on the society as a whole. Here, however, these issues are not going to be debated. Instead the pathology of Alzheimer’s will be reviewed to the extent it is known today.
“Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia in elderly people which accounts for 60 to 80 percent of cases (Krishnan, D. S.)”. World Health Organization indicated that Alzheimer’s disease is the “6th leading cause of death in the
The likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s doubles every year and recent studies have found that women are more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s then men (Medicine).
According to the Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI), dementia is one of the most prevalent disorders found among
One of the most prominent and perhaps most feared condition associated with aging is dementia. The family of disorders can cause individuals to lose their mind, reducing one from being a complex, thinking, feeling human being to being confused and vegetative, unable to recognize their loved ones. Serious dementia affects nearly 37 million people globally, but predictions of how those numbers will change over the next few decades are conflicting (textbook). Although we know dementia as to do with damage to nerve cells in the brain, there are ongoing studies looking at correlations between other health issues and these types of diseases.
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
Dementia is one of the age-related disorders which commonly affect the aging elderly population (65 and over). In 2010, the approximate number of people who had dementia was 35.6 million and it is estimated to double every twenty years, to 65.7 million in 2030 and 115.4 million in 2050 respectively. The incidence of dementia every year is 7.7 million which equals to one new case every four seconds (World Health Organization [WHO], 2012). In 2011, the Canadian baby boom generation initially began to turn 65 and became part of the elderly population which significantly impacted the fertility rates (Rockwood & Keren, 2010). In Canada, the elderly population accounts for approximately 13% of the population and one in eleven has dementia (Stein-Parbury & Eliopoulos, 2014). The researchers have estimated that by 2036, it will account for 25% of the population and 28% by 2061 (Bartfay, Bartfay & Gorey, 2013). There are many forms of dementia that an individual can acquire. Alzheimer’s disease is one of the common forms of dementia in the elderly population (National Institutes of Health, 2013). Currently, approximately five million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease (WHO, 2012) from which two thirds account for women (Alzheimer’s Association, 2014). The reason behind more women having Alzheimer’s disease is merely due to the fact that women have higher life expectancy and old age contributes to higher risk for acquiring Alzheimer’s disease. It is apparent that Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that causes a gradual and irreversible decline of cognitive abilities (Feldman, 2010, p. 325). Informally known as “old timers” disease, it strikes more than half of the elderly community greater than age 85 (Feldman, 2010). In addition to the loss of memory there are also major neurological, functional, and behavioral changes as well. There are a few risk factors including age, family history, and head injuries. There is no definitive way of predicting that a person will get Alzheimer’s, but there are genetic markers and neurological tests that can signify a person’s
As we grow older over the years, we come to realize that there are many diseases and illnesses that can affect the health of our bodies. We come to fear the fact that one day we may be diagnosed with such illnesses or diseases, one such as Alzheimer's. Currently, it is estimated that 5.7 million people have been affected by Alzheimer’s and continue to be affected due to the lack of research and treatments to prevent the disease. According to our research, we have seen that there are great health disparities in patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's in terms of their gender. Throughout this report, we will analyze the information that supports gender as a social cause that may influence Alzheimer to occur among the population, especially with individuals
Alzheimer’s disease is a very slowly progressive disease that occurs inside the brain in which is characterized by damage of memory. Also this type of disease can lead into interruption in language, problem solving, planning and perception. The chance of a person developing Alzheimer’s disease increases enormously after the age of 70 (Crystal, 2009). Also people who are over the age of 85 have over a 50 percent chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This type of disease is not at all normal in the aging process and is also not something that happens out of no where in a person’s life.
The Alzheimer’s Association reports that nearly two-thirds of Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s are women. However, it is important to note that this does not mean there is a gender-based predisposition for the disease; the primary reason for this statistic is that women generally live longer than
According to the 2010 studies and reports compiled in Alzheimer’s Associations “Facts and Figures”, Alzheimer’s Disease is the 7th leading cause of death and 5th leading cause of death for those over 65 years of age. 5.3 million people in the United States have this disease. This disease generally affects men and woman over 65. More woman than man have this disease but the reason for this is still debated. Some think more woman than men have Alzheimer’s disease because women tend to live longer than men. Others believe that a woman’s lack of college education is to blame for her disease. It is believed by some that those who have a college education have higher income