Alzheimer s Disease A Progressive Disease - 925 Words

Alzheimer s disease is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other vital mental functions. Alzheimer s disease is the most common cause of dementia, a group of brain disorders that cause the loss of intellectual and social skills. AD can eventually render a person unable to function in society and to even care for themselves. Since the disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States constant research is being done to try to prevent it and to find a cure. Alzheimer s disease (AD) is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions and is the most common form of dementia. Alzheimer s disease is the most common cause of dementia — a group of brain disorders that cause the loss of†¦show more content†¦Unfortunately, the effects on the patient’s brain has been found to develop years before the first symptoms become noticeable. By the time the behavioral and mental symptoms appear, permanent damage to nerve cell s in certain areas of the brain may have already happened. There are currently no specific tests for AD. A physician will perform several tests on a patient, beginning with a physical and neurological exam. The Mayo clinic has a set of criteria they use when determining if someone has AD. They will test reflexes, sense of sight and hearing, muscle tone and strength, ability to get up from a chair and walk across the room, coordination and balance. Blood test will be done to rule out other disorders. Doctors will also perform tests on memory and cognition. They will also perform brain imaging through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computer tomography (CT) scan, or a positron emission tomography (PET) scan. The last one that is used in only rare occasions is the testing of cerebrospinal fluid. In special situations, like progressive dementia or very young onset dementia, a cerebrospinal fluid exam may be done. The spinazzl fluid can be tested for biomarkers that indicate the likelihood of Alzheimer s disease. Two structural abnormalities ha ve been found in the brains of Alzheimer patients. The first is Amyloid plaques which are clusters of protein fragments (AÃŽ ²-peptide) that come from a protein called amyloid precursor protein (APP), which isShow MoreRelatedAlzheimer s Disease : A Progressive Disease1663 Words   |  7 Pages Alzheimer s disease is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. At first, someone with Alzheimer s disease may notice mild confusion and difficulty remembering. Eventually, people with the disease may even forget important people in their lives and undergo dramatic personality changes. Alzheimer s disease is the most common cause of dementia — a group of brain disorders that cause the loss of intellectual and social skills. In Alzheimer s disease, theRead MoreAlzheimer s Disease : A Progressive Disease1667 Words   |  7 PagesAlzheimer’s Disease is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. Brain cells in Alzheimer’s disease dies and degenerate causing the loss of memory and mental functions. Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S.A. Alzheimer’s Disease is named after Dr. Abis Alzheimer. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue o f a lady who had died of an unusual mental illness that was very unknown. The woman s’ symptoms included memoryRead MoreAlzheimer s A Progressive Disease865 Words   |  4 Pagesin their place: gradually losing your freedom, your memory, and your very own identity. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that slowly destroys the brain’s function of memory and cognition. 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Many patients that are suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease don’t find out from theirRead MoreAlzheimer s Disease : A Progressive Neurodegenerative Disease2372 Words   |  10 Pagesdementia is brought forward. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a brain d isease, is the most common type of dementia, and affects majority of people 60 years or older (1,14). It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, which only continues to worsen over time. Each individual is affected differently with symptoms and the progression. As of right now there is no cure for it (14). Biology of Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, which attacks the brain. It is not knownRead MoreAlzheimer s Disease : A Progressive Degenerative Disease2632 Words   |  11 PagesIntroduction Alzheimer s disease (AD) is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain from which there is no recovery. There are three brain abnormalities that are the hallmarks of the Alzheimer’s disease is initially caused by plaques buildup in the brain’s neurons as illustrated in figure 1. The support structure that allows the flow of the nutrients through the neurons gets damaged and ultimately there is loss of connection among the neurons and they die off (National Institute of Health,Read MoreAlzheimer s Disease : A Progressive Degenerative Disease Of The Brain981 Words   |  4 PagesAlzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia that gradually destroys brain cells, affecting a person’s memory and their ability to learn, make judgments, communicate and carry out basic daily activities. The disease is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain. It was first described by the German neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer in 1905 (Selkoe, 2016). The average life expe ctancy of an Alzheimers patient is between five and ten years, but some patients today have live for up to 15 years afterRead MoreAlzheimer s Disease : A Progressive Decline1240 Words   |  5 PagesAlzheimer’s disease is a progressive decline in cognitive function. It affects the brain by damaging brain cells resulting in a decreased in cognitive function, physical mobility, swallowing and fine motor skills. This disease approximately 5.1 million Americans aged sixty-five or older (Alzheimer s Association, 2015) of which approximately 700,000 will likely die this year (Alzheimer s Association, 2015) of related symptoms such as aspiration pneumonia due to decreased swallowing ability. TheRead MoreAlzheimer s Is A Progressive Disease973 Words   |  4 Pagesaffected as well as those who may be caring for them and their families. This change is that of the disease Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important menta l functions. This disease affects more than 5 million Americans and continues to increase. With this disease on the increase, it begs the question if there is a way to prevent this debilitating disease or at least some kind of early diagnosis. Though there is no concrete way to determine the etiologyRead MoreAlzheimer s Is A Progressive Disease1630 Words   |  7 Pagesfor her but also for everyone around us. Alzheimer’s doesn’t affect only the person living with the disease but also those who care for them and love them; this is how my family is also a victim of Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that affects memory, thinking and behavior; making it the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. There are no treatment methods to stop the disease from progressing; therefore there is no cure. What causes most pain in families is seeing how the