Unit 14 Physiological Disorders

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 is a systemic disease, meaning that it affects more than one part of the body. There are three major systems that are affected by Alzheimer’s. The first involves the Central Nervous System. The CNS includes the brain and spinal cord, allowing the nervous system to make the spinal cord and brain function. The Central Nervous System is affected because specific brain proteins begin to malfunction and brain cells die. The loss of brain cells is the reason for memory loss and

Alzheimer’s is a disorder that occurs when an individual’s brain cells begin to die gradually, over an unknown period of time. Those suffering from Alzheimer’s experience a multitude of symptoms such as not being able to identify family, friends, and acquaintances, having the incapacity to grasp new knowledge, and undergoing states of confusion.

Dementia affects each person in a different way, depending on the impact of the disease and the person’s personality before he/she became ill. The signs and symptoms that are linked to dementia can be understood in three stages. There are the early stages, middle stages, and late stages. The early stages of dementia are almost always overlooked since the onset is gradual. The symptoms are familiar to us all, like misplacing items, forgetting appointments not being aware of the time.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s is not a disease developed with age, rather it is a disease that can start earlier in life and progress as a person ages. It starts out small. The little things that average people forget. Brain cells are damaged when the sickness begins to develop which leads to the inability to retain information or memory, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Brain cells end up dying and normal functions disappear. Nerve cells die due to the buildup of protein within the brain. These proteins, referred to as plaques and tangles, are a normal sign of aging. An excessive amount of protein buildup

Not every individual is the same when it comes to signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease. A prominent symptom of Alzheimer's would be memory loss, which becomes worse as the disease advances. Alzheimer's Weekly, a blog dedicated to offering news to a community familiar with Dementia, provided information on how Alzheimer's Disease is measured. There are seven stages that help determine the degree of progression of Alzheimer's Disease (Alz. Weekly). The first stage of

In the final stage of Alzheimer’s disease, the individual generally must have full time care and assistance with daily personal care. The AA defines the late stage as “losing the ability to respond to the environment, carry conversations, and eventually control movement” (Stages of Alzheimer’s section, 2016, para. 10). Communication becomes painful at times and personality changes occur because of memory and cognitive skills worsening (AA: Stages of Alzheimer’s section, 2016, para. 10). Common symptoms in this stage include “loss of awareness of recent experiences and surroundings, requiring high levels of assistance with daily activities and personal care, changes in physical abilities like walking, siting, and swallowing, difficulty communicating, and becoming vulnerable to infections” (AA: Stages of Alzheimer’s section, 2016, para. 11). According to Kiple (2013), patients sometimes can hallucinate and overall are restless and agitated (2013). Kiple (2013), also points out that abnormal neurological reflexes occur often (2013). Along with the symptoms listed above, clinical symptoms of dementia include aphasia, inability to speak or understand language, apraxia, the inability to execute learned movement, and agnosia, the inability to recognize people, objects, sounds, smells, and shapes (Leifer,

In people with Alzheimer’s, the neurons become disabled. For starters, Alzheimer’s interferes with the neurons ability to produce energy they need to do their work, a process known as metabolism. Neurons derive energy from the oxygen and glucose which is available through the bloodstream. Without this energy, neurons can no longer communicate with each other and carry impulses to other neurons. They also lose the ability to repair themselves, which ultimately causes them to die. Exactly what interferes with the functioning of the neurons is unclear, and the rate at which the disease progresses also varies from one person to another. Neuofibrillary tangles which is a tau protein that gives neurons their structure by binding to microtubules in a cell and

There are many signs and/or symptoms someone with Alzheimer’s may experience. Symptoms range anywhere from cognitive, behavioral and psychological. As far as cognitive signs go, difficulty thinking and understanding may occur, as well as forgetfulness. Behavior can also be affected and includes agitation, irritability, aggression, and personality

There are many different symptoms of Alzheimer’s. At first you will start to get confused more easily and forget things more often. How fast symptoms worsen is different from one person to the next. One of the symptoms is memory loss. People with Alzheimer’s will start to repeat their sentences and ask questions several times without realizing they had already said it. People will forget where they put things (example: keys, TV remote, etc,...). When Alzheimer’s gets worse, the person might start to forget who people are and what their name is.

“Alzheimer’s Disease is an incurable disease that strips you from your memory and other functions used in daily life." The brain cells degenerates and dies, which result in the patient forgetting how to perform simple daily functions like eat, sleep, walk, or talk. The size of the brain of someone with Alzheimer’s will shrink because the tissue has fewer nerve cell and connections. Studies have shown that every 67 seconds someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

There are 10 warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease which include memory loss that disrupts daily life; challenges in planning or solving problems; difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work, or at leisure; confusion with time or place; trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships; new problems with words in speaking or writing; misplacing things or losing the ability to retrace steps; decreased or poor judgement; withdrawal from work or social activities; and changes in mood and personality. Memory loss is the first warning sign of Alzheimer’s disease which involves forgetfulness of newly learned information, important information, and needing memory aids. The second warning sign is challenges in planning or solving problems. This involves “experiencing changes in their ability to develop and follow a plan or work with numbers” (“10 Early Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer’s,” 2015). Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work, or at leisure is another warning sign which involves people who are affected with Alzheimer’s may struggle with completing daily tasks which they have never had a hard time accomplishing. People with Alzheimer’s disease also are often confused with time or place and may lose track of time. The fifth warning sign of Alzheimer’s is trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships which may include having difficulty reading, identifying color, and driving. Alzheimer’s patients may also have new problems with words in speaking or writing which also involves having a tough time holding a conversation and using correct vocabulary. The seventh warning sign is misplacing and losing the ability to retrace steps. This involves forgetting where they place objects and being unable to retrace one’s steps. Patients affected with Alzheimer’s may have decreased or poor judgement and have difficulty making decisions. People with Alzheimer’s can be withdrawn from work or social activities such as hobbies,

The neurons are the foundation of the brain, communicating through electrical impulses. With Alzheimer’s, the brain gets damaged, resulting in a shrinking brain. Alzheimer’s harms the way neurons work, and the way electrical charges travel throughout the “neuron forest.” Additionally, nerve cells die, dramatically harming an individual.

Alzheimer’s disease is a condition that destroys the connections between cells in the brain. Eventually the cells will die. It causes the cells a hard time to communicate with the body and to be able to function right. Even though the inheritance of Alzheimer’s is still unknown it still has genetic mutation which is a permanent change in a gene that can be passed down to children.

Alzheimer’s disease can be caused by a combination of how a person lives, from their genetics, and the environment that person is in. People who are affected with disease have fewer brain cells and fewer connections with the healthy cells than a healthy brain. When doctors look under the microscope for problems with the brain tissues, the doctors will see two different things. They will see plagues which are clumps