...Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that is the most common form of dementia. Its onset affects 24.3 million people in the United States (Leifer, 2009, p. 588). The earlier symptoms of this disease are memory loss and decline of cognitive functions. These symptoms are often overlooked as the normal signs of aging. Alzheimer’s often is not diagnosed until it has progressed to the more debilitating stages. Fewer than 50% of people with the disease are currently diagnosed. Awareness of the pathology of the disease and understanding risk factors and early signs of Alzheimer’s is vital to prevention as well as providing a patient with an early successful treatment. There are multiple risk factors which contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, age being the greatest. Alzheimer’s disease is increasing in occurrence with 1 percent in adults’ age 60 years to nearly 45 percent in those age 85 years and older (Wierenga & Bondi, 2011, p. 37). There are genetic risk factors that also play a role with developing Alzheimer’s. Early-onset familial Alzheimer’s disease has been linked to the presence of genetic mutations on chromosomes 21, 14 and chromosomes 1. Mutations found on chromosome 19 are a well-known genetic risk factor for late onset Alzheimer’s disease and may be the cause for 50 percent of the risk for developing it. Additional risk factors include cerebrovascular disease such as stroke, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, systolic hypertension...
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...got my article from WebMD and it gives a topic overview on what it is. It states that Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of mental decline, or dementia, and dementia also has other causes. Alzheimer’s disease damages the brain. It causes a steady loss of memory and how well you can speak, think, and carry on daily activities. Alzheimer's disease always gets worse over time, but how quickly this happens varies. Some people lose the ability to do daily activities early on. Others may still do fairly well until much later in the disease. Mild memory loss is common in people older than 60. It may not mean that you have Alzheimer’s disease. But if your memory is getting worse, see your doctor. If it is Alzheimer’s, treatment may help. Alzheimer’s disease happens because of changes in the brain. These include lower levels of chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) that help brain cells work properly. What causes these changes is not clear. The risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease increases as you get older. But this does not mean that everyone will get it. By age 85, about 35 out of 100 people have some form of dementia. That means that 65 out of 100 don't have it. Dementia is rare before age 60. I agree with this article in the way that I know that Alzheimer’s disease is serious because people forget a lot of things and it’s also sad for the family because the relative with the disease can’t remember anything....
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...to Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease Megan Zann April 27, 2012 Health Psychology Dr. Ackerman Introduction It is normal to periodically forget your keys or a homework assignment, because you generally remember these things later. However, individuals who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease may forget things more often, but they do not remember them again. The incidence of Alzheimer’s disease has dramatically increased because people are living longer. This is a result of advancements in medical technology that are increasing the human life span. That being said, now there is more responsibility placed on the individual and their caregivers to provide a supportive environment to combat this disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that causes a gradual, irreversible cognitive deterioration. The individual experiences a significant decline in their memory, language skills, perception of space and eventually, their ability to be self-sufficient and independent. Alzheimer’s disease takes a toll on the patients as well as their caregivers. “Being a caregiver for an ill or disabled loved one is widely recognized as a threat to caregiver’s quality of life” (Poulin et al 2010). The diagnosis of this disease affects the caregivers on physical, psychological, and social levels. Family, friends, and caregivers suffer from pain and stress as they witness their loved one experiencing the progression of the disease. Background “Alzheimer’s disease is the most common...
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...Amanda Farrington Research paper October 17, 2014 Despite the forgetfulness, we have of the seriousness of Alzheimer’s disease; the behind the scenes action is what we need to be taking a look at. Researcher is now choosing different routes of prevention, treatment and diagnostic studies to solve this serious illness. Which different stages of diagnosis it’s difficult to find the target of what triggers the disease. With the majority of patients being diagnosed being of the elderly stage of life, testing different options is risky because of old age. As many years and millions have gone on to find the cure to stop this tragic illness that overcomes thousands of loved ones every year, scientist have decided to step back and make a strategy. With so many failed attempts of curing this disease, they decided to find an attack approach before being diagnosed. Studies have gone into the smallest detail to find common traits that those diagnosed have. While this is an endless and tedious process, they continued. Scientist have discovered that there are ways to lower the risks of being diagnosed with the disease in the future. Although there is no cure once diagnosed, there have been studies found on how to lessen your chances of getting it. Multiple articles, including National Institute of Agings “alheimer’s prevention”, state that vitamins are always a natural and healthy route as well as anti inflammatory drugs. While a healthy diet and exercise can be effective...
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...There are many significant health issues that come with aging, one of which is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys the memory and thinking skills of its victims. Eventually victims of Alzheimer’s lose their ability to complete tasks of daily living (National Institute on Aging, 2013). The discovery of Alzheimer’s disease was made by Dr. Alois Alzheimer upon an examination of the brain of a woman who died of an unusual mental illness. The doctor saw changes in the tissue of the brain. The National Institute on Aging (2013) website states that the symptoms of the woman’s illness were: memory loss, language problems, and unpredictable behaviors. In the examination of the brain, the doctor found abnormal clumps and tangled bundles of fibers. The clumps are amyloid plaques and the tangled bundles of fibers are neurofibrillary tangles. These plaques and tangles are two of the main features that accompany Alzheimer’s disease. A third feature is the loss of connection between neurons (nerve cells) in the brain (National Institute on Aging, 2013). Developing some knowledge of what Alzheimer’s disease is will help people understand what the symptoms of the disease are, how the disease is diagnosed and what treatments can be used to help slow the progress of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease: Symptoms The symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are tricky and can be easily written off as a sign of aging. It is not so...
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...http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE * Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. Bottom of Form * Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging, although the greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimer's are 65 and older. But Alzheimer's is not just a disease of old age. Up to 5 percent of people with the disease have early onset Alzheimer's (also known as younger-onset), which often appears when someone is in their 40s or 50s. * Alzheimer's worsens over time. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years. In its early stages, memory loss is mild, but with late-stage Alzheimer's, individuals lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to their environment. Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Those with Alzheimer's live an average of eight years after their symptoms become noticeable to others, but survival can range from four to 20 years, depending on age and other health conditions. * Alzheimer's has no current cure, but treatments for symptoms are available and research continues. Although current Alzheimer's treatments cannot stop Alzheimer's from progressing, they can temporarily slow the worsening...
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...Did you know that Alzheimer’s disease is the only cause of death in the top 10 in America that cannot be prevented, cured, or slowed? Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. It is the most common form of dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 1 in 3 senior citizens end up getting Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia in their lifetime. And many of those who have Alzheimer’s disease have not been diagnosed. Today I’m going to inform you on how to be able to distinguish Alzheimer’s disease through the causes, symptoms, along with further prevention, medication, and research. Alzheimer’s is a tricky disease to find and understand because there are no direct causes with it. Doctor Alois Alzheimer was the first doctor to identify the first case of Alzheimer’s disease. He realized something was different with a woman’s brain tissue after she had passed away from an unusual mental illness. This woman’s name was Auguste Deter. Her symptoms were memory loss, language problems, and unusual behavior. Scientists have discovered that brain damage beings to start around a decade before the patient shows signs of memory loss. The beginning damage appears to take place in the hippocampus, which is that part of the brain that forms and keeps the memories. As more neurons become damaged, more and more parts of the brain are being affected. At the final stage of Alzheimer’s, the damage is all throughout...
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...Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s disease, or simply known as Alzheimer’s, is kind of disease that affects the brain. Alzheimer’s is a type progressive disease, which means that the disease will gradually worsen over time. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, which is a term used to describe a brain disorder that causes the loss of memory and other intellectual skills such as thinking skills, problem-solving, language and social skills. Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s brain tissues tend to have less nerve cells and synapses as they are destroyed by plagues and tangles. Plagues are clusters of protein fragments called beta-amyloid that are built up between the nerve cells. Tangles are made up of twisted strands of protein called tau. Beta-amyloid is a fragment of a protein found in the neuron’s cell membrane called amyloid precursor protein (APP). APP is a transmembrane protein, which means the APP molecule passes through the cell membrane of neuron. In order for beta-amyloid to be released from the APP molecule, two enzymes must be involved which are beta-secretase and gamma-secretase. First, beta-secretase cut the peptide chain of APP outside the cell membrane at a certain length. Then the gamma-secretase makes a cut inside the membrane, releasing the beta-amyloid. The beta-amyloid released will be in two forms, one which has 40 amino acids and another one with 42 amino acids. The beta-amyloid peptide with 42 amino acids is the one that will cause...
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...Alzheimer's Disease Introduction to Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain. It is first described by the German neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer (1864-1915) in 1905. This disease worsens with advancing age, although there is no evidence that it is cause by the aging process. The average life expectancy of a person with the disease is between five and ten years, but some patients today can live up to 15 years due to improvements in care and medical treatments. The cause of Alzheimer's has not been discovered yet and it cannot be possible to confirm a person has Alzheimer's until their autopsy following death. How does Alzheimer's develop What causes Alzheimer's? Well no one know exactly the development of this debilitating disease. But recent advances has produced several clues as to how it is born. Initially when we study the brain of a Alzheimer's victim, we focus on two specific areas. One is the cortex of the frontal and cerebral lobes1. The second is the hippocampus (meaning seahorses in Greek which it resembles2) which is located below the cerebral cortex and responsible for short-term memory. If we study samples of these two section, we would find three irregularities which are not found in normal brain matter. These three are called neurofibrillary tangles, neuritic plagues and granulovacuolar degeneration3. A nerve cell has numerous axons and dendrites coming out...
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...control her emotions my Father came in the room and gave me the news. My mother’s father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. At the time I really did not know what to make of the situation my dad just threw at me. He tried explaining to me what it was and how it affected my grandfather but it was too much information to take in at the time. I just did not understand the concept of Alzheimer’s so I decided to do some research. I found that Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia that eats away at brain cells and interferes cognitive functioning like memory transitions, learning abilities and language formation. Alzheimer’s disease is one of the top death causes in the United States. Almost five million Americans are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and about five percent of people between the age of 65 to 75 and half of the people over the age of 85 suffer from Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is not a normal side effect of aging. It starts off as just mild symptoms that interfere with normal daily activities such as forgetting to put shoes on or forgetting to eat. It progresses after that and gets worse and worse until it is at its most severe stage when one must completely rely on someone else to survive. Alzheimer’s is very unpredictable and scientists do not know what causes Alzheimer’s. The number of people with Alzheimer’s is rising each day. (National center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion) In 1906 a women died of a strange mental illness. Dr. Alois Alzheimer...
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...Alzheimer’s Association Texas A&M University-Central Texas Kelvin Ray Phillips Alzheimer’s Association The Alzheimer's Association International Research Grant Program funds investigations that advance our understanding of Alzheimer's disease. The first grant in organization funded its first research grant, awarding a total of about $80,000 to a handful of investigators. This propelled the Association into the largest nonprofit funder of Alzheimer’s research, awarding over $300 million to more than 2,100 scientific investigations. Alzheimer’s Association is funded donations and grants. The Association is one of the few national programs that stand on its own, and meets the BBB Wise Giving Alliance’s Standard for Charity Accountability. Alzheimer’s Association was created to continue research and provide healthcare for the aging group of 50 and above that will slowly falling victim to a disease that gradually depletes your memory. Alzheimer’s Association is a nonprofit organization that provides families support, public awareness, and community education. The mission was providing leadership and support service for individual families while supporting the advancement of research of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s Association, chapter 17th, which is located in central Texas was formed in the 1980s, and is a leading volunteer health organization Alzheimer’s care support and research. The Alzheimer’s...
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...Alzheimer’s Disease Tim Smith ITT Technical Institute GE-375 Dr. Robert Fahey April 12, 2012 Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a form of dementia, which is a loss of brain function (U.S., 2012). The disease gradually worsens over time affecting one’s thinking, memory and behavior. AD is the most common form of Alzheimer’s accounting for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases (Alzheimer’s, 2012). Although one of the risk factors is old age (majority of those with the disease or age 65 or older), 5 percent of the individuals affected by the disease have early onset (in their 40’s or 50’s). There are currently 5.4 million Americans living with this disease. Alzheimer’s is a disease that will increase in intensity over the years (Alzheimer’s, 2012). In the early stages an individual will experience mild memory loss. In the late stages of the disease a person will be unresponsive to their environment. There are seven stages of Alzheimer’s. In stage one the person does not demonstrate any symptoms. In stage two the person experiences a mild decline in their cognitive function which they or others may attribute to normal age-related behaviors. Symptoms may feel like mere memory lapses. In stage three, also known as early-stage Alzheimer’s others will begin to notice difficulties. The individual would have trouble remembering names, forgetting things they just read, misplacing valuable objects, and increased trouble...
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...the individuals, family caregivers and healthcare services for people having Alzheimer’s disease?” With prolonged life expectancy , the population of many developed countries are ageing recently. The prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease with the decline of cognitive abilities increases along with the aging population. There is also a rise of persons younger than 65 having this disease (Cox, 2013). Take Hong Kong as an example ,a research (Yu et al., 2012) estimated the number of people with dementia would rise from 103,433 in 2009 to 332,688 in 2039, with an increase of 222%. Consequently , this phenomenon has brought about an worldwide public health challenge to the individuals, family caregivers and healthcare services. Individuals having this disease face the problem of the loss of independence and dignity. LOPEZ (2003) examines that the major symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are the significant memory loss , confusion , weaken communication and judgment ability. They have difficulty in doing familiar tasks and need to depend on others to take care of their daily lives such as dressing , toileting and eating. Moreover, Cox (2013) points out that those who are young may be forced to have involuntary retirement due to the inability in concentration , learning new things and making decisions. A sense of uselessness of the patients may arise. Family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease are facing the challenge of handling the physical and psychological burden. They...
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...Alzheimer’s Disease Michael A. Smith HCS/245 May 26, 2014 Dr. Michelle Clemons Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer is a stage of dementia which ability of the brain appears to stop functioning, such as creating memory loss, judgment instability, lack emotions with reasoning and changes in behavior. This is found more common in the elderly population of people. Studies shows apparently some people over sixty-five develops forms of dementia with the increase in later years after eighty-five. The Alzheimer's disease can be found in millions of Americans and more prevalent amongst African-Americans than other races. Describing the disease This type if disease very complex and changing rapidly without much discovery concerning treatments. When the processing of some proteins experiences interference or goes wrong terribly, the development of Alzheimer disease starts to blossom. This activity caused the brain cells with space between them cluttered with toxic protein; resulting loss nerve cells in regions of the brain upon investigation by microscopes for clear venture would reveal it. Such clusters are of two forms: the ones found between cells and those inside nerve cells. The dying nerve cells communicate with neurotransmitter acetylcholine a compound that would break down an enzyme known as acetyl cholinesterase and other studies now suggests having high cholesterol and also blood pressure being too high can be contributing toward Alzheimer disease significantly...
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...Alzheimer’s Development Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder, and it is the most common cause of dementia, but what is the stage of Alzheimer and how this affects on the patient’s life. Medical researchers classified the develop of Alzheimer to three major stages patients experience as the disease progress which are mild stage, moderate stage, and severe stage. Diagnosing Alzheimer can help patients and their families to understand the situation, also it helps all the family members to do early check, because Alzheimer could be genetic disease. Overall, as the disease develop the symptoms become more intense and severe, so it’s important to patients understand what they are going through. Alzheimer’s disease starts in the...
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