Alzheimer's Disease Essay

Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, accounting for 65–70% of all cases (Jellinger, Janetzky, Attems, & Kienzl, 2008). The other dementias are of the Parkinson 's group, the fronto-temporal group and the vascular group. The total worldwide yearly costs for the treatment and care of patients suffering from dementia are estimated to be around 250 billion US dollars. The lifetime risk for AD between the ages of 65 and 100 is 33% for men and 45% for women with an annual increase of 1–2% in the seventh decade to almost 60% in the 10th decade with doubling every 5 years (Jellinger et al., 2008). AD is incurable, and thus represents a major public health problem. AD represents a challenge to humanity due to its relatively recent discovery, progressive nature of the illness, and complex diagnosis.

The beginning and symptoms of Alzheimer's are usually very slow and gradual. Alzheimer’s hardly ever occurs before the age of 65. It occurs (according to the AHAF) in the following seven stages: In stage 1 There are no impairment- Unimpaired individuals experience no memory problems and none are evident to a health care professional during a medical interview. Stage 2 Is a very mild decline- Individuals at this stage feel as if they have memory lapses, especially in forgetting familiar words or names or the location of keys, eyeglasses, or other everyday objects. But these problems are not evident during a

In 1901, the German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer studied a 51-year-old woman who experienced short-term memory, as well as a few other behavioral symptoms, until she died in April 1906 (Anderson). Within the past 15 to 20 years there have been dramatic discoveries made to help us understand the pathophysiology and neurogenetics of Alzheimer’s Disease, there are four different genes have been ultimately connected with this terrible disease as well as a few others that may be related (Anderson). According to Gould, in Alzheimer’s disease there is a constant a developing loss of intellectual function that will ultimately interfere with ones work, personal relationships, and their hygiene.

5) There are two types of genes that play a role in whether a person will develop Alzheimer’s disease or not.

However, no one of these explanations alone can explain the disease in full, and none of these theories have been proven (Weiner, 1987). Scientists do know, however, that whatever triggers Alzheimer’s disease begins to damage the brain years before the symptoms appear. Once symptoms do show themselves, the nerve cells that process, store and retrieve information have already begun to die (Alzheimer’s Association, 2005).

Alzheimer’s Disease is an irreversible, genetically linked illness. This disease was chosen for the topic of this essay under the consideration that in many families the illness can be incredibly tragic, passing down for generations without mercy. It is not rare to encounter families in which each member is afflicted with a form, mild or severe, of Alzheimer’s. The disease is a progressive brain disease which comes in two separate types: Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease and Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. These will be discussed in full later on in the paper.

Alzheimer’s has many causes and affects each patient differently. There have been studies done that have found that older African American’s are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than older whites. A cause of Alzheimer’s has not been completely identified yet, but genetic and environmental factors are known to increase the risk. While we all know that Alzheimer’s is a complicated disease there are many signs that go along with each stage of the disease. Along with Alzheimer’s comes a series of complications.

A brain deteriorates, slowly being engulfed by a mysterious disease. The neurons being cut off and destroyed by two abnormal structures. First memory is affected gradually getting worse. Then one is unable to think properly, reason, and lacks of self control. Gaps are formed in the brain 's ventricles, due to the amount of dead tissue. In the end, it will lead to death. All of this may sound like something from a science fiction movie but infact its very real. These are all known possible symptoms of a common disease that affects about millions of Americans. It is known as Alzheimer 's disease (AD), and I plan on explaining it a bit more in this paper. First I will explain the disease and list some facts about it,then I will talk about some commonly asked questions about it.

Alzheimer's Disease is one of the societal issues that Scientists will be able to address. Most Alzheimer's patients have gotten the disease from their parents, meaning, scientists can study the genome of the patients to understand why it is genetic. Alzheimer's is difficult to understand because someone can get the gene even when no one else in their family has it. Studying the genomes of these patients can also give light on why there is Early-onset Alzheimer's and Late-onset Alzheimer's. Through this study and research, scientists can get a better understanding on how to slow down or even cure the disease.

It's hard to see what caused Alzheimer's for some people. This is because everyone with this disease react differently. Some causes are the same but for the most part they are different, because everyone reacts differently. Scientists know that this disease involve brain cell failure, the reason this happens isn't clear. Experts believe that there isn't any main causes for this disease. The age and genetics are considered risk factors for Alzheimer's. Once scientists find some true causes it with expand our knowledge why and how this disease develops. Research has shown that people with parents that had Alzheimer's have a greater risk of getting it then others who aren't related to anyone with the

Alzheimer’s in most cases is not a hereditary disease that can be passed down through generations of families. “Many people fear that Alzheimer's disease in the family may be passed on to children and grandchildren. In the vast majority (99 percent) of cases, this is not so.”(Alzheimer’s Society, 2016, p.1) Alzheimer’s is sometimes a hereditary disease that is potentially passed down, but a patient is not guaranteed to develop the disease if a family member has it. Although if more than one family member has Alzheimer’s the patient has a higher likelihood of contracting the disease. “Those who have a parent, brother or sister with Alzheimer’s are more likely to develop the disease.”(Alzheimer’s Association, 2018, p.1) The risk of developing

Alzheimer’s disease is a very slowly progressive disease that occurs inside the brain in which is characterized by damage of memory. Also this type of disease can lead into interruption in language, problem solving, planning and perception. The chance of a person developing Alzheimer’s disease increases enormously after the age of 70 (Crystal, 2009). Also people who are over the age of 85 have over a 50 percent chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This type of disease is not at all normal in the aging process and is also not something that happens out of no where in a person’s life.

Aging and genetics play a role in developing a cognitive disease known as Alzheimer’s, but why do some people get it and some don’t? According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease today. Research shows that by 2050 there could be as many as 14 million people with the disease. About 350,000 new cases of Alzheimer’s are diagnosed every year in the US. It is the 4th leading cause of death in adults after heart disease, stroke, and cancer, and approximately 65,800 people die from the disease each year. “Alzheimer’s Facts & Statistics." Brightfocus.org. What is Alzheimer’s disease (AD) anyway? Alzheimer’s is a condition where the brain cells start to die, and the brain even shrinks. Mainly people age 60 and over develop the disease. AD affects areas of the brain that are used for memory, motor skills, and carrying out everyday tasks. AD and Vascular dementia are the most common forms of dementia. Dementia is the decline in cognitive function or mental stability. Dementia can be caused by a hardening of the blood cells in the brain that causes blockage in blood flow. The disease can also be caused by infections, brain injuries or tumors, depression, nutritional deficiencies, drug interactions, or metabolic disorders of the thyroid, liver, pancreas, or kidneys. It can also be caused by other progressive diseases like Parkinson’s, Pick’s, Huntington’s, or Lewy-body. In other words, it affects the brain making it

APOE is the best known gene that is associated with the disease. APOE is a major lipoprotein within our central nervous system, where it is synthesized by astrocytes. It also plays a big role in the lipid metabolism. “Injuries in the central and peripheral nervous system structures cause an increase of APOE expression. The APOE protein exists in three major isoforms: E2, E3, and E4. The APOE4 isoform, a key risk factor for AD, is cytotoxic, and it damages the cytoskeleton, increases the production of amyloid β-peptide, and affects mitochondrial function in neuronal cells” (Acar 2015 ) . We all inherit copies of some form of APOE’s. If we inherit APOE4 from one of our parents we may have an increased chance of getting the disease. If we inherit this gene from both parents we have an even higher chance of getting the disease. Researchers are not exactly sure as to why this genes increases risk. Dererministic genes are directly linked to the cause of a disease. Researchers have discovered that different variations of this can cause Alzheimer’s disease in the gene coding of three proteins: presenilin, amyloid precursor protein, and presenilin-2. When Alzheimer’s disease is caused by these proteins, it is called familial Alzheimer’s disease, and many members of generations are affected. This type of variation has only been found in few extended families and accounts for less

Alzheimer is a disease that affects the elderly most. The disease was discovered by Dr. Alois Alzheimer in the year 1906 when he was examining a female’s brain. He found out that the woman displayed memory loss, language problems and some inexplicable changes in behavior. The disease was named after the doctor who was a German psychiatrist and a neuropathologist. Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disorder that leads to memory loss, personality changes, and language problems (Gilbert & Julie 2). The disease is mostly diagnosed in people over the age of 65 years, though there is a small minority of people under the age of 50 who get the disease. Studies show that 1% of a whole population aged between the ages 65-75 have severe