Alzheimers Disease

2696 Words6 Pages

We are currently living in the age of technology. Our advancements in the

past few decades overshadow everything learned in the last 2000 years. With the

elimination of many diseases through effective cures and treatments, Canadians

can expect to live a much longer life then that of their grandparents. In 1900

about 4% of the Canadian population was over the age of 65. In 1989 that figure

tripled to 12% and the government expects that figure to rise to 23% by the year

2030 (Medical,1991,p.13). This increase has brought with it a large increase in

diseases associated with old age. Alzheimer's dementia (AD) is one of the most

common and feared diseases afflicting the elderly community. AD, once thought to

be a natural part of aging, is a severely debilitating form of mental dementia.

Although some other types of dementia are curable or effectively treatable,

there is currently no cure for the Alzheimer variety.

A general overview of Alzheimer's disease including the clinical

description, diagnosis, and progression of symptoms, helps one to further

understand the treatment and care of patients, the scope of the problem, and

current research.

The clinical definition of dementia is "a deterioration in intellectual

performance that involves, but is not limited to, a loss in at least 2 of the

following areas: language, judgement, memory, visual or depth perception, or

judgement interfering with daily activities" (Institute,1996, p.4).

The initial cause of AD symptoms is a result of the progressive

deterioration of brain cells (neurons) in the cerebral cortex of the brain. This

area of the brain, which is the largest and uppermost portion, controls all our

thought processes, movement, speech, and senses. This deterioration initially

starts in the area of the cortex that is associated with memory and then

progresses into other areas of the cortex, then into other areas of the brain

that control bodily function. The death of these cells causes an interruption of

the electrochemical signals between neurons that are a key to cognitive as well

as bodily functioning.

Currently AD can only be confirmed at autopsy. After death the examined

brain of an Alzheimer victim shows two distinct characteristics. The first is

the presence of neuritic plaques in the cerebral cortex and other areas of the

brain including cerebral blood vessels....

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