Alzheimer’s in its Full Effect Alzheimer’s disease is named after German physician, Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes that happened in the brain tissue of Auguste D., who had died of an unusual mental illness. Her symptoms included memory loss, language problems, and unpredictable behavior. So, what exactly is Alzheimer’s? It is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. Alzheimer’s has been detected in nearly 15% of people 71 years of age or older because it is caused by a genetic mutation, the disease gets worse over time, and there is currently no cure for it. Unfortunately, scientists do not fully …show more content…
The Genetic Alzheimer’s disease form is extremely rare. A few hundred people have genes that directly contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. The majority of people with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease have the common form of the disease. The disease will progress in roughly the same way as it does in older people with Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s disease leads to nerve cell death and tissue loss throughout the brain. Over time, the brain shrinks dramatically, affecting nearly all of its functions. In advanced Alzheimer’s, the surface layer that covers the cerebrum, shrinks and withers. This damage to the cortex destroys the normal ability to plan ahead, recall, and concentrate. Alzheimer’s also affects the hippocampus. This part of the brain plays an important role in memory. The disease causes the hippocampus to shrivel, which harms the brain’s ability to create new memories. The ability of doctors to diagnose the disease has improved in recent years, but a conclusive diagnosis can be established only when autopsy or brain biopsy shows that nerve cell loss has occurred in the parts of the brain associated with cognitive functioning (Alzheimer’s Disease). Alzheimer’s typically follows certain stages which will bring changes in the affected person’s and family’s lives. Because the disease affects each individual differently, the order in which they appear, and the duration of each stage
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological disorder, in which one progressively loses memory, thinking skills, and the ability to perform activities of daily living. Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia also called senile dementia, and two thirds of dementia cases are from Alzheimer’s disease (ZZZZ). This disease usually effects the older generation, early 60s to late 60’s. According to the National Institute of Aging, over 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s, and it is ranked the sixth leading cause of death (ZZZZ). This disease is caused by changes in the brain. Researchers noted these changes were a buildup of abnormal plaques called, amyloid plaques, a lost connection between nerve cells and the brain, and also fibers in the brain become tangled. Also this is a genetic disease, and environmental factors also play a role in the onset of this disease. These characteristics are said to cause the onset of Alzheimer’s disease (ZZZ). Alzheimer’s disease has many onset symptoms. The most common symptoms of this disease are memory loss and confusion. Examples of this is asking the same question and not realizing it, and not remembering where things are. These symptoms progressively worsen to the person forgetting who their family members are, and eventually not being able to function on their own.
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 is a disease in the brain that affects a person’s memory, thinking, and behavior. It is the most common form of dementia and is common in adults older than 65. More than five million Americans are being affected by Alzheimer’s at this moment. Alzheimer’s comes in three stages; early, middle, and advanced. The disease is caused by the shrinking of the brain due to many risk factors and genetics.
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 is a progressive disease that eventually destroys memory and other other very important functions. First it starts with mild confusion and the patient has a hard time remembering. Soon after that they may get much worse
As we age, our bodies begin to deteriorate. The bones become brittle, the muscles and tendons atrophy, hair falls out, and our mental faculties begin to diminish. It can be difficult when it comes to aging but at times it is a beautiful, natural process of life. With age comes many difficulties and changes. One of them is a very serious and debilitating change that can impact one who is affected as well as those who may be caring for them and their families. This change is that of the disease Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. This disease affects more than 5 million Americans and continues to increase. With this disease on the increase, it begs the question if there is a way to prevent this debilitating disease or at least some kind of early diagnosis. Though there is no concrete way to determine the etiology of Alzheimer’s unless through autopsy of the human brain, there are ways to aid in the early diagnosis of this disease amongst the aging population for better and improved prognosis.
Many people have Alzheimer's when they are over the age of 65. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of Dementia. Dementia is a disorder of mental processes caused by an
Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, behavior and other intellectual abilities significant enough to impede with a person’s daily life. Alzheimer's is not a typical part of aging, despite the most known leading factor is increased age. Most people with Alzheimer's are 65 and older, however, up to five percent of people with the disease have early onset Alzheimer's, which most often appears in a person in their 40s or 50s. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease which means that the symptoms of this certain disease gradually get more severe over time. In the early stages of this disease, memory loss is pretty mild, but in the late stages of Alzheimer's, individuals lose the capability to
BEFORE AD Alzheimer’s isn’t new to us. The name just changed. Before Alzheimer’s was dementia. That has been around for quite some time. For the bizarre behavior of humans with dementia, people began to do spiritual “treatment” to people. Putting the patient in asylums. Back then people did not worry about the disease because they would only live for about 30 years (Kelly,2008). In the eighteenth century, a French doctor named Mr. Pinel believed that mental illnesses had a cure. The term dementia was first used by him. People claimed he changed the way he thought about finding a cure. He thought doctors should change people with the illness by interacting with them. However, in the nineteenth century, Alzheimer believed that mental illnesses were caused because of brain illnesses instead of spiritual reasons (Shamy,2003) Alzheimer’s had a patient that had forgotten her last name as he told her to write it down. At that exact moment he knew there was something terribly wrong. She had symptoms of what we now call AD. On April 9, 1906 that patient had died. He then studied her brain under a microscope to find that she had tangles in her brain. The name AD was given to patients over time. Named after Alzheimer becomes he was the first to make the connections.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) a neurodegenerative disease that affects memory, thinking and behavior and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Approximately 1 in 4 people that reach the age 80-84 are expected to develop Alzheimer’s, and it is expected to affect 30-40 million people worldwide by the year 2050 (Steele, et. al, 2006). This disease is not a normal part of aging. However, the risk of onset increases with age, as well as underlying inflammatory processes. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease with the most common reported system being difficulty recalling newly learned information. As the disease progresses, an affected individual may experience disorientation, mood changes, behavior changes, confusion, memory loss, suspicion about family and friends, walking difficulty and an inability to carry on a conversation. Simultaneously, the brain of the affected individual develops increasing amounts of plaque (deposits of the protein beta-amyloid that form between neurons) and tangles (twisted fibers called tau that build inside neurons). These deposits interfere with neuron conduction and may lead to neuronal apoptosis.
Alzheimer’s causes degeneration of brain tissue and nerve cells. With less nerve cells present, it becomes harder for the brain to communicate with the body and function properly.
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.
Alzheimer's Disease is a form of dementia that gradually gets worse and worse over time. Alzheimer's can affect the memory, the behavior, and the thought process of the affected person.
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have been working on a potential new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. They are honing in on the genetics involved, hoping to hijack enzymes to do the job.
Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease usually develop slowly and gradually worsen over time, progressing from mild forgetfulness to widespread brain impairment. As critical cells die, drastic personality loss occurs and body systems fail. But while there is not yet a cure for Alzheimer’s, there are plenty of ways you can slow progression of the disease and continue living a full life. At first, increasing forgetfulness or mild confusion may be the only symptoms of Alzheimer's disease that you notice. But over time, the disease robs you of more of your memory, especially recent memories. The rate at which symptoms worsen varies from person to person. Early-onset Alzheimer’s occurs in people age 30 to 60 and represents less than 5 percent of all people with Alzheimer’s. Most cases are caused by an inherited change in one of three genes, resulting in a type known as early-onset familial Alzheimer’s disease, or FAD. For others, the disease appears to develop without any specific, known cause, much as it does for people with late-onset disease. As Alzheimer’s disease progresses, people experience greater memory loss and other cognitive difficulties. Problems can include wandering and getting lost, trouble handling money and paying bills repeating questions, taking longer to complete normal daily tasks, and personality and behavior changes. People are often diagnosed in this