Research Paper On Alzheimer's Disease

In times past many people thought that memory loss was a normal occurrence for elderly people. This thinking was major reason for why Alzheimer’s disease was not caught until very later in the stages. Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging. After heart disease, cancer, and strokes, Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of death in adults in the Western world. “It is estimated that 4.5 million Americans over the age of 65 are affected with this condition. After the age of 65, the incidence of the disease doubles every five years and, by age 85, it will affect nearly half of the population” (Robinson).

Alzheimer's, the word strikes fear in some and an off-handed glance in others. The fact still remains that Alzheimer’s is an extremely shattering disease that removes the mind fraction by fraction over a period of time, this could even take decades. It begins as small memory lapses, slowly progressing to memory breaches but then progressively eroding your life to the point where around-the-clock care is the only option. With severe Alzheimer's, as we almost hear daily that patients have wandered off and gotten lost. In my own life, my grandfather was not even able to recognize his family members. Alzheimer's was a little known disease before 1960, but today it threatens to completely derail the health system in the United States.

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.

Dementia is a type of disorder that affects the central nervous system. It’s not a disease itself but a group of symptoms that characterize disease and conditions. It’s commonly defined as a decline in intellectual functioning that is severe enough to interfere with the ability to perform routine activities. It causes significant loss of intellectual abilities, such as memory capacity, severe enough to interfere with social or occupational functioning. Dementia‘s a general term that also includes specific disorders like vascular dementia as well as others.

However, today, recognition and discoveries have increased rapidly. The CDC defines Alzheimer’s disease as a progressive disease beginning with mild memory loss possibly leading to loss of ability to carry on a conversation and respond to the environment. With as many as five million Americans living with the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer’s gradually worsens over seven stages with increasing age and by age eighty-five the risk of obtaining it reaches almost fifty percent. No matter the age, Alzheimer’s is incurable, however, there are many protective factors and medical management that can benefit the quality of life for many people infected with Alzheimer’s. However, there are also many risk factors such as age and family history. Constantly getting lost, losing things, or taking longer to complete normal tasks may seem like normal parts of aging but doing these things under Alzheimer’s is

Many believe that Alzheimer’s is a non-lethal disease, however, they couldn’t be more wrong. Alzheimer’s is a disease that leaves no survivors. It is lethal and has absolutely no mercy towards any one. It does not discriminate between race or gender, rich or poor. Anyone can be a target. So much, that it is now the sixth leading cause of death and it continues to rise each year (Ryan). Yet, the scariest thing about Alzheimer’s, is not just the memory loss, but also the fact that it has no cure and is irreversible. All hope, however, is not lost. New research has shown that if caught at a very early stage, the rate of deterioration of the brain due to Alzheimer’s, can be slowed down through treatments and therapy (Robinson). Although it is no cure, it can buy more time with a loved one diagnosed with this mindless killer. By catching Alzheimer’s at an early stage and looking out for the symptoms, one can slow down the deadly effects of Alzheimer’s.

The disease called Alzheimer’s is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States (Weiner, 1987). It is estimated that the elderly population will double between now and 2030. During this period, the number of elderly will grow by an average of 2.8% annually (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). By 2050, the number of people with Alzheimer’s is estimated to range from 11.3 million to 16 million (Alzheimer’s Association, 2005). These startling numbers should prompt an examination into one of the leading causes of death among this group of people. Understanding what Alzheimer’s is and the known causes of the disease are a good starting point. For those who have aging family members, knowing the risk factors and warning

Alzheimer's disease is worse than almost any other in a certain way. At least when you get cancer or heart disease you don't forget the names of loved ones and friends. It's almost worse to have your life mentally slip away as it does with Alzheimer's even if you are still physically intact. A relationship has been discovered between high blood pressure and this awful disease and strangely, it has been found to be an inverse relationship.

Dementia is a general term for the decline in mental ability, severe enough to interfere with daily life. It is not a specific disease, but an overall term that describes a wide range of symptoms. Alzheimers has become the most common form of dementia. This being said, just because people suffer with memory loss does not mean they suffer from Alzheimers.

Alzheimer’s Disease is a common form of dementia that progressively deteriorates one’s brain causing serious memory loss, and eventually, the inability to perform common daily tasks. This disease is also known as “The Mind Robber,” or the “Disease of Forgetfulness.” The unfortunate thing about this disease is that there is no cure. Medicines have been developed to slow the progression of the disease. It has moved up into the rankings on the leading causes of death in America to number six and the number of deaths are increasing. As of 2013, nearly 5 million Americans were suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease, most of them over the age of 60.

Alzheimer's disease is a brain deteriorating disease. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia. Dementia is a term used to categorize memory loss and other intellectual abilities that affect the quality of life. There is no true reason why people acquire Alzheimer's but there are many things that can lead a patient to contract it. Alzheimer's disease may occur when there is a loss of neurons and when beta plaques form on the outside of neurons. This can interfere with the commutation of neurons which give the brain ability to coordinate with the human body. Scientists believe that people with Alzheimer's disease have acquired the disease from a combination of their genes, lifestyle and environmental factors that affect the brain over

Dementia is a broad term for a brain disease that is acquired. It develops when nerve cells in the brain deteriorate and do not regrow. The disease affects an individual’s memory, behavior, and their ability to comprehend and clearly think. Although the rate of deterioration varies, dementia causes a decline in an individual’s vocational and social functions. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease (ASHA, 2015).

Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most devastating diseases affecting approximately 5.3 million people in the U.S. (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015; Caminiti, 2015; Hammer, 2016). It is not exclusively a disease of old age as over 200,000 are diagnosed under the age of 65. Other startling facts are that a majority of afflicted by Alzheimer’s are women and the rates of diagnosis are increasing substantially (Alzheimer’s association, 2015). Alzheimer’s is a complicated disease that robs a person of their memory and eventually their bodily functions, rendering the person unable to care for him or herself. Furthermore, Alzheimer’s is fatal with no cure or prevention known to this date. There has been a 71 percent increase in Alzheimer’s deaths compared to other major deadly diseases during the first 13 years of this century.

Alzheimer’s disease, one type of dementia, is a degenerative disorder of the brain that is slowly progressive. Eventually this disease will result in abnormal brain function that will lead to death. Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of the aging process; symptoms lead to a loss of mental abilities and skills, including the ability of taking care of themselves. Though it is very rare, some people do develop this disease as young as the age of forty. However, the most common age to develop this disease is over the age of sixty-five. Although changes in the brain are similar in different people, the psychological and behavioral symptoms that present may differ from person to person.

In 1906, Alzheimer’s disease entered the scientific world. Till this day, it is one of the most studied neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers have come a long way with scientific outcomes on the disease, but unfortunately there is no official cure, or a concise reason on how this disease is generated. The disease has been recognized to being genetic and affecting people in their later years, roughly around their sixtieth year. Alzheimer’s disease affects the person’s memory, language, judgment and even their daily tasks. While the disease continues to dramatically progress, it begins to affect all regions of the brain, causing the person to lose almost all of their functions. When the person has reached their final stage, they are no longer able to recognize themselves or their surroundings and would need full time dependent care. According to the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org, 2016), the person may have up to eight years max to live after diagnosis.