Alzheimer’s disease Ashley Linker South Piedmont Community College Abstract Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive and fatal form of dementia, frequently seen in the elderly altering their cognition, thought process and behavior. AD is reported in about half of patients that have a dementia diagnosis; one study states that about 10.3% of the population over 65 years is affected by dementia with an increase to almost 50% over the age of 8 (Beattie, 2002). Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of the aging process in humans, but rather found in a group of diseases that affect the brain leading to a decline in mental and physical control. AD when diagnosed has a very slow and gradual course, initially affecting the individual’s short term memory (Beattie, 2002). Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death, affecting more than five million people in the United States and is also one of the most common forms of dementia. Dementia can be defined as a disorder of progressive cognitive impairment severe enough to affect daily functions of an individual’s life (Fillit, et al., 2002). History Early 1900’s a man named Alois Alzheimer cared for a woman who had rapid severe declining dementia, after she died he was able to study her brain where he found atrophy of the grey matter along with plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, which when destroyed interrupts the messages sent from the neurotransmitters to the central and limbic regions of the brain resulting in early
The theme of the seminar that I attended was entitled “Alzheimer’s Disease: The Basics”. The purpose of the talk by Carolyn Scales was to bring public awareness and better understanding of this progressive, irreversible brain disorder that affects five million people nationwide. The speaker explained that the term Alzheimer’s disease dates back to 1906 when Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German physician, presented the first case history of this kind, a 51-year-old woman, who suffered from a rare brain disorder. Later autopsy of her brain identified the plaques and tangles of what we call today Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is part of a group of diseases called dementia and it is the most typical type of dementia, making up about 60-80% of total dementia types. This disease is becoming more and more prevalent as people’s lifespan increases, because of the ever-advancing medical field. Additionally, the total number of Alzheimer’s cases is expected to double over the next 20 years. Most generally, it affects people over the age of 65, but can affect people as young as the age of 40 and is the 5th leading cause of death for the elderly. Once diagnosed, a patient normally lives 1 to 10 years and in some unusual cases, up to 20 years.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a form of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. AD typically involves the development of a progressive neuropsychiatric disorder that is characterized by gradual memory impairment, loss of acquired skills and emotional disturbances (Lee, Y. J., Han, S. B., Nam, S. Y., Oh, K. W., & Hong, J. T.). Every 67 seconds an individual in the United States develops AD. AD is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. There are 5.3 million Americans diagnosed with AD (Latest Alzheimer's Facts and Figures). AD is one of the few degenerative diseases that cannot be prevented, stopped, or cured (Latest Alzheimer's Facts and Figures). Post-mortem examination of the brain of AD patients usually
Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. In most people with Alzheimer’s, symptoms first appear in their mid-60s (nih.gov). AD is a multifactorial and progressive neurodegenerative disease. Parts of AD, for example, increased oxidative state, amyloid plaque deposition, and neurofibrillary tangle of tau protein in the central cortex the limbic system of the brain, have been related with Alzheimer's disease. AD standouts amongst the most well-known and feared diseases burdening the elderly community. The disease was once thought to be a natural part of aging, is an extremely incapacitating type of mental dementia.
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is characterized by gradual cognitive decline that beings with the inability to create recent memories or thoughts, which then proceeds to effect on all intellectual functions (Mayeux & Stern, 2012). AD affects an estimated 5.5 million people in the United States, and 24 million people worldwide (Mayeux & Stern, 2012). The incidence of Alzheimer’s disease is rising in line with the aging population, therefore; AD is most common in older patients around the ages of 60-85 (Mayeux & Stern, 2012). Alzheimer’s Disease is the sixth most common cause of death ("Latest Alzheimer 's Facts and Figures", 2015). Therefore, in the United States, one individual will develop the disease in every 67 seconds ("Latest Alzheimer 's Facts and Figures", 2015).
Alzheimer’s disease is the top 10 fatal diseases that doesn’t have a cure, no means of prevention, and no disease-modifying treatment. Alzheimer’s disease isn’t just a disease that affects older aged people, there have been hundred, maybe even thousands of patients who have shown symptoms of Alzheimer’s during their 40’s, 50’s, or even in their 30’s. Although it is just about 5% of the time, whenever this happens to someone it’s referred as Alzheimer’s early on-set. In addition, about 700,000 people die from Alzheimer’s and dementia; this makes it the third leading cause of death behind cancer and heart disease. Unfortunately, the only thing we have against Alzheimer’s are treatments that help slow down the symptoms
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a form of dementia that affects 5 million people in the United States alone. One out of every three Seniors die of the disease just in the United States; 80 million suffering world wide making AD the 6th largest cause of death (climax) (Humpel 1; Alzheimer’s Association). AD is the most common dementia; affecting the neuroplasticity of the brain resulting in physical shrinking of the tissues; thus causing neurodegeneration. Diagnosis of the disease is complex, costly and risky. (tricolon) Behaviors are categorized and most commonly constructed in a list of stages. Treatments have been unsuccessful in curing the disease. Ramon y Cajal proclaimed in 1928 that “once development has ended, the founts of growth and regeneration of the axons and dendrites dried up irrevocably. In the adult centers the nerve paths are soothing fixed, ended and immutable. Everything must die, nothing may be regenerated. It is for the science of the future to change, if possible, this harsh decree” (Teter 402).
Every 67 seconds someone in the United States develops Alzheimer's Disease. It is the most common form of dementia. Dementia is the decline of mental ability severe enough to affect daily living. Some symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease include memory loss, changes in problem solving, confusion with time and place, deficits in identifying familiar objects and people, decreased judgement, and changes in mood and personality. Symptoms develop with time and gradually worsen as the disease spreads. It begins as mild forgetfulness and progresses to full on brain impairment. The brain changes chemically and structurally and destroys one’s ability
Alzheimer’s is a progressive form of dementia. Alois Alzheimer, a German physician, in 1906, noticed psychological changes in some individuals and by further observing their brain during an autopsy noticed significant difference in brain size and abnormal deposits in the brain tissue. Overwhelming around the world there are new cases found every day. CG
What is Alzheimer’s disease? It is a chronic brain disease that causes dementia, “a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life” (1). Dementia is affecting over 40 million people worldwide (2). Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common degenerative neurological disease, so it affects many of the body’s activities. For example, it has an impact on the patient’s breathing, talking, balance, movement, and heart function. One of the most characteristics of AD is that it begins slowly and gets worse over time.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was once considered a very rare disease. Now, it is the most common form of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that effects a person’s memory, thinking, and behavior. Some early symptoms include: difficulty remembering recent conversations, names, or events. Later the symptoms can progress to impaired communication, disorientation, confusion, poor judgement, and behavior changes. The worst of the symptoms include: difficulty speaking, swallowing, and walking. Alzheimer’s disease changes the brain. Alzheimer's disease leads to nerve cell death and tissue loss throughout the brain. Over time, the brain shrinks dramatically, affecting nearly all its functions (Brain Tour, 2011). Alzheimer's disease primarily
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia and the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. This neurological condition is brought on by the malfunction or death of neurons in the brain, causing changes to one’s memory, behavior, and ability to think and reason logically and clearly. There is no cure for the disease and very little available to treat the symptoms. While AD was discovered over 100 years ago by German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer, it has only been in the last few decades that research and science have started to understand the inner workings of the neurological degeneration and possible hypothesis as to its cause. However, the physiologic changes that trigger the change in neurons still remains unknown. AD worsens as it progresses and life expectancy following diagnosis is approximately seven years; fewer than three percent of individuals will live more than 15 years after their diagnosis (Mölsä, Martlla, Rinne, 1995).
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive mental illness that occurs in middle or old age, it is considered an age-related disease. The brain shrinks overtime caused by brain cell death over a period of time. When the brain shrinks it causes the tissue to make fewer connections to the brain which damages memory, speech and comprehension. This can be broken down into three stages; preclinical (where there are no signs or
The purpose of this paper is to examine Alzheimer’s disease in various aspects. Alzheimer’s disease, which is classified as a type of dementia, is a chronic, irreversible, progressive brain disease that is the most common cause of dementia in older adults. In the United States alone, 26 million adults living in the United States, 15% of the population was 65 and older (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). The estimated prevalence of AD recorded in 2015 was 44 million people throughout the world and this number is only expected to grow (Mendiola-Precoma, Berumen, Padilla, & Alcocer, 2016). AD gradually destroys brain function that leads to cognitive decline, psychiatric disorders, and the inability to carry out daily living activities
Alzheimer Disease is a disease in which the brain degenerates. Many people throughout the whole entire world are affected by this disease. The brain degenerates, and people begin to have trouble remembering things. The brain degeneration progresses over the duration of the disease until the diagnosed individual cannot function without help. Alzheimer is the most common form of dementia, and about 60 to 80 percent of all Dementia cases are Alzheimer’s disease. In compliance with this statistic, this means that Alzheimer’s is commonly used interchangeably with Dementia. However, there are many types of different Dementias, but Alzheimer’s is the most well recollected type of the disease. (Lu, 2) Lu give a great definition as to what