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Alzheimer signs and symptoms essay
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Alzheimer's Disease A description of the symptoms and possible causes of Alzheimer's disease as an example of brain malfunction Alzheimer's disease is one of a number of forms of dementia. This type of illness affects the brain by gradually reducing the number of brain cells. This decline in brain tissue can occur in all parts of the brain. However, Alzheimer's deals mainly with the Cerebrum part of the brain. The Cerebrum controls intelligence, memory, language skills, emotions and personality. As a result, Alzheimer's has many symptoms, which link to the part of the Cerebrum that has been damaged. The results of Alzheimer's are apparent, as one in ten people over 65 and in half of the population over 85. Their disease seriously affects their lives as seven out of ten live at home. The earliest and most common sign of Alzheimer's is a decline in memory. This memory loss affects recent information more so than long-term memory. This would also lead to a short attention span and often losing interest in long conversations. Moreover, disorientation develops and those with Alzheimer's may get lost in their own street. Problems with language may also prevent coherent conversations. The affected person may not speak grammatically correct and talk in a child-like manner. They may substitute forgotten words for vague descriptions or make up new words. The simple understanding and judgement of sufferers becomes impaired and they can make the wrong choices. For example, wearing warm clothes on a hot day, wearing Bermuda shorts on a winter's day or waking up at awkward hours to do household tasks. The mathematical knowledge the people with Alzheimer's have deteriorates. They do not understand what the numbers are for and how to manipulate them. Tasks like managing finances become impossible. Rapid and dramatic mood swings are also a common occurrence. A person may change from anger to tears to glee to disappointment in a short while. This seriously affects the person's personality Eventually the sufferer will become unaware of the outside world. They
summer night, after a long day of playing soccer, we get to my house exhausted and ready to
Alzheimer’s disease is a complex illness that affects the brain tissue directly and undergoes gradual memory and behavioral changes which makes it difficult to diagnose. It is known to be the most common form of dementia and is irreversible. Over four million older Americans have Alzheimer’s, and that number is expected to triple in the next twenty years as more people live into their eighties and nineties. (Johnson, 1989). There is still no cure for Alzheimer’s but throughout the past few years a lot of progress has been made.
In this day and age, it seems as though almost everyone has experience a loved one taken away form a very serious disease known as Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is unbelievably devastating for everyone affected by it. This disease is causing major economical problems such as less occupancy in the nursing homes, and hospitals due to the rising population of elderly men and women being diagnosed with it everyday. Because there is not yet a cure for this disease and the percent of the population being diagnosed keeps rapidly rising, more time and money needs to go towards Alzheimer’s research.
tends to increase with age, but there is a big difference between normal forgetfulness and Alzheimer's disease. There are three things to know about Alzheimer's: the facts and figures, the seven stages, and the changes in the brain.
Scientists believe that for most people, Alzheimer's results from a combination of genetics, lifestyle and environmental factors that affect the brain over time. Alzheimer's is caused by specific genetic changes that virtually guarantee a person will develop the disease. The causal effect for this disease is still unknown with fingers pointing to plaques and tangles in the brain. Although the causes of Alzheimer's are not yet fully understood, its effect on the brain is clear. Alzheimer's disease damages and kills brain cells. A brain affected by Alzheimer's disease has many fewer cells and many fewer connections among surviving cells than does a healthy brain. As more and more brain cells die, Alzheimer's leads to enormous brain shrinkage. When doctors examined an Alzheimer's brain tissue under the microscope, they saw two types of abnormalities that are considered the cause of the disease. One of these abnormalities is plaques that clump up, a protein called beta-amyloid which damages and destroys brain cells. In patients with Alzheimer’s the plaques created interfere with cell to cell communication. The other abnormality seen is tangles in the brain. Brain cells depend on an internal support and transport system to carry nutrients and other essential materials throughout their long extensions. This system requires the normal structure and functioning of a protein called tau. In an Alzheimer's patient, the threads of tau protein twist into abnormal tangles inside the brain cells, leading to failure of the transport system. (Alzheimer's Association) (National Institutes of Health, 2012)
Alzheimer's disease is ending the brains and lives of our country's people, stealing them from memory, the ability to reason, and affecting their emotions and behavior. Alzheimer's disease weakens the brain. The longer we live the greater the risk: one out of every two Americans aged 85 and older and one out of every 10 aged 65 and older are afflicted with the disease. It affects two groups: those with the disease and the loved ones who care for them. Alzheimer's diseases changes the way people view the world.
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease that attacks and destroys brain nerve cells or neurons eventually killing the cells. It is the most common form of dementia (around 50-60% of all cases of dementia). it affects 1 in 20 people over the age of 65 and 1 in 1000 people under the age of 65. Although it affects more people over the age of 65 it doesn’t mean that age is the cause of the disease. Patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease suffer from memory loss, thinking difficulty, loss of language skills and changes in behaviour. No one is immune to this disease. Alzheimer’s disease is named after Dr Alois Alzheimer’s. In 1906 he noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who died from an unusual mental illness. Her symptoms included loss of memory, language problems and unpredictable behaviour. After her death he examined her brain and found abnormal protein fragments called plagues and tangles. These protein fragments are the two major features of Alzheimer’s disease. The third is the loss of connection between nerve cells and the brain.
It is said that memory declines as people age, and this can be just a natural part of life. However, in many cases as people grow older, they develop a mental disorder known as Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is a disease that causes problems with memory, thinking, and overall behavior, and progressively becomes a bigger problem. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia and is a very common disease in people over the age of 65. This terminal disease puts tremendous stress on the victim and the victim’s family. A cure for Alzheimer’s has yet to be discovered; however, through healthy and constant use of the brain and the aid of certain drug treatments, Alzheimer’s disease can be both naturally and medically prevented.
Every era has its disease; the one debilitating killer that each individual grows up to fear and detest more than War or poverty or depression. In the sixteenth century the Black Plague swept Europe, and later Syphilis destroyed much of the New World. More recently Polio was what each mother feared would over take her child. However, each of these diseases had its own time and place, and each has all but disappeared by cure or public awareness. Unfortunately, as each disease passes away a new killer moves up through the ranks to strike fear in humanity, young and old. Currently, the United Statesí population is aging, with people over eighty-five becoming the nations fastest growing age group">(2).It should come as no surprise that the disease of the new millennium should be a disease of the elderly: Alzheimerís Disease. Effecting half the Americans over the age of eighty Alzheimerís Disease has left its victims in a world of confused dementia, and the rest of the world in a panic to find a cure">(2).
According to an article from a magazine, Current Issues: Macmillan Social Science Library it explains that between 2.4 million and 4.5 million people in the United States in 2009 have been diagnosed with a disease that destroys the memory of elders. This brain disease continues to worsen as it goes on. Alzheimer’s Disease is one of the many diseases that slowly deteriorates ones memory. It is a terrible progressive disease that affects elders everywhere. A solution would be to find a cure by research and testing. Alzheimer’s Disease does not only affect the elder, it also affects the people around him/her as well.
So, as we can see here synaptic loss is not just age related and we can see this relationship through the evidence of the parts of the brains affected as well as a study that looks at an actual comparison of synapses. The comparison is between people with no cognitive impairment, mild cognitive impairment, and early Alzheimer’s disease. Mild cognitive impairment is a type of impairment within the brain that can cause a slight but noticeable decline in cognitive abilities. These abilities include memory and thinking skills. These patients are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s and that is why they were also looked at in this research (Scheff, Price, Schmitt & Mufson, 2005). One of the major research findings that led to this study was that patients with Alzheimer’s disease seemed to have a loss of synaptic contacts in their neocortex and hippocampus. This loss of synaptic contacts demonstrates an association with cognitive ability and correlates strongly with dementia. It was unknown whether patients with mild cognitive impairment had significant synaptic loss compared to those with no cognitive impairment.
It is inevitable that eventually each of us will grow old and begin to face more and more health problems as our age rises. Elderly people are challenged by many illnesses and diseases that unfortunately, are incurable. One disease that becomes more common as people age is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s a common cause and a form of dementia and can severely damage a patient’s cognitive functions and can ultimately cause death. Living with Alzheimer’s disease can be saddening for both the sufferer and the family. Family and friends will find it very hard to cope when a loved one begins slipping away and losing memory of who they are.
1. What is the difference between a. and a. Throughout this line of study, Alzheimer’s disease is a specific form of dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability that is severe enough to hinder daily life. Memory loss is a symptom of dementia, and the most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s. One of the most common and severe symptoms of Alzheimer’s is difficulty remembering newly learned information.
Absentmindedness, with questions having to be repeated, trouble following conversations, or remembering people's names, sound familiar? These are classic early stage symptoms of Alzheimer's.
It was one of those days where you’re glad to be awake early in the morning, before the afternoon gets scorching hot. The feeling of the cool breeze gently caressing your arms and legs is always something to look forward to, and many people would be swayed into taking a nice walk outside under the trees.