Alzheimer's Disease Essay

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Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common form of Dementia. Over the past ten years, there is increase in number of people with Alzheimer’s disease and is expected to increase significantly in coming decades.1 Alzheimer’s disease describes as lapses of memory, personality and sense of self, changes of mood easily and progressive decline in the ability to learn, to communicate and to reason. Suffers from Alzheimer’s disease greatly influent the quality of one’s life.2 The early detection of Alzheimer’s disease is difficult because Alzheimer’s disease starts in a very subtle way and the symptoms of early stage Alzheimer’s disease are same to several conditions which are lack of vitamin, depression and thyroid problems.3 What went wrong with the disease state? What is the drug treatment for Alzheimer’s disease?
There are many factors that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease such as age over 65 year old, environmental factors and genetic inheritance and lifestyle. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain’s disease that it progresses at different rates in different person, the symptoms become more severe and eventually leads to death.4
Neuron plays an important role in the physical process and is responsible in discrete functions inside the brain. When the neurons communicate with one another, it will process electrical signals which will pass from one neuron to another, releasing chemicals and neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine which is requires to pass the signals from one neuron to another at the synapse. As the age increases, degeneration of neurons and synapses occurs due to the development of too much plaques and tangles in the cerebral cortex and some subcortical regions inside the brain.
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...itor recommended by the latest (2011) guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) 5 for people with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Based on the Alzheimer’s Society survey of 4000 people, those consume Rivastigmine experience improvement in behaviour, symptoms, memory and the ability to carry out daily activity. Rivastigmine can be taken orally 1.5g twice daily. Generally, nausea, diarrhoea, tired, headaches and vomit are the frequent side-effects of Rivastigmine. Patients can apply Rivastigmine patch if they experience severe side-effects.6
All in all, although rivastigmine cannot cure the Alzheimer’s disease but if the patient taken the drug regularly, maintain a balance and healthy lifestyle, always be optimistic and think positively, the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease can be delayed and the patient can live longer.

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