Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative and irreversible brain disorder. It is estimated that 2-5 percent of people over 65 years of age and up to 20 percent of those over 80 years of age suffer from the disease. Although there have been advances made in the control of this disease through drugs, it has no definite cure. Patients with Alzheimer’s disease suffer from disorientation and intellectual and psychological impairment which eventually lead to death. The exact cause of the disease is still unknown. However, it has been associated with certain causes that merit to be studied, as they lead to devastating and sometimes fatal consequences.
Various theories have linked the disease to a number of other causes. It is believed that the disease can be inherited. People who have a parent or sibling with Alzheimer’s disease were found to be five times more likely to develop the disease as compared to those who did not. Some believe that highly chemically reactive oxygen molecules, known as free radicals, may be the cause. These, which have been blamed for heart disease and cancer, may lead to Alzheimer’s. In addition, other theories claim that physical trauma, such as whiplash injuries, or the body’s immune system may be the culprit.
Alzheimer’s disease is linked to the gradual formation of plaque in the brain, particularly in the hippocampus and adjoining cortex. As the disease develops, it destroys chemical messages used by the cells of the brain to communicate with each other. It is though that the disease either disrupts the production of an
Research Paper Topic: Since the year 2002, considerable progress has been made in the area of human health and medicine. What three pieces of research, reported in the last ten years, that are based on or related to evolutionary theory or genetic studies and mechanisms in medicine, seem most important to you for their direct connection to you, your relatives, and your (future) descendants, and why? Begin by thinking about medical challenges that ‘run in your family,’ and therefore are likely to…
could be a sign that you or a family member has Alzheimer’s disease. The prevalence of Alzheimer’s is only going to rise as the baby boomers age. Alzheimer’s disease affects the brain. This disease was first described by a doctor named Alois Alzheimer in 1906. He discovered unusual clumps (now called amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of fibers (now called neurofibrillary tangles) in the brain of a woman who passed away from a rare mental illness. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative…
manifestation such as aphasia, sleeping difficulties and wandering. It was first described by the German neurologist Alois Alzheimer in 1950 (Khachaturian, 2007). Alzheimer’s cannot be definitely confirmed in a service user until an autopsy is carried out after their death there are a number of signs and symptoms which may lead to a person being diagnosed with the disease. Alzheimer not only effects the individual but also their family and care givers. When a service user suffers from Alzheimer’s…
English 101 June 26, 2015 Experience Twelve Minutes of Dementia In 2010, ABC News reporter Cynthia McFadden participated in a simulation. To view this segment, please visit: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/virtual-dementia-tour-families-understanding-alzheimers-disease-11226182. This simulation gives insight on the daily struggles that a dementia patient copes with. The project simulates the physical, mental, and emotional constraints the patient must overcome in order to complete the most basic…
EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE and ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE Introduction As defined in 2012 by the American Nurses Association, “nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations. “To deliver the best optimal treatment…
disease if it is diagnosed before the age of 65. Alzheimer's disease was first discovered in the very early 1900's, by a German man named Alois Alzheimer. It was not considered a major disease until the 1970's. Alois Alzheimer had been studying a woman in her mid-fifties with greatly impaired cognitive, memory, and social skills. After her death, Alzheimer preformed an autopsy on her brain, revealing that she had plaque formations and neurofibrillary tangles. A neurofibrillary tangle is an insoluble…
1. This course has expanded my ability to think independently and creatively about human behavior and the cultural influences that affect our behavior. At first, I took this class because I need it to fulfill part of the general education. But as the course move on, I found that I am actually enjoying and loving this class because I found out that a lot the materials I learned in this can actually in my workplace, where I can have better communication with the parents and the students but I can also…
people are Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, which is caused by a series of strokes or changes in the brain’s blood supply. Alzheimer’s disease is more prevalent among African-Americans than among whites. There is a greater familial risk of Alzheimers in African-Americans and genetic and environmental factors may work differently to cause Alzheimer’s disease in African-Americans. Alzheimer’s disease has been identified as an emerging public health crisis among African American communities. This…
degenerates the individuals short-term and long-term memory. Beginning phases of AD include difficulty recalling short term events, with eventual loss of large amounts of memory and the inability to communicate ones thoughts to others (Stages of Alzheimers, 2011). Early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease revolve around the increase challenges in recalling newly acquired or learned information, such as a new neighbor moving into town, or the different school your granddaughter is attending. The worrisome…
purely meant for the development of improving treatments for cancer, diabetes and immune disorders. The Titanic electron microscope is 3m tall and weighs around a tonne but it does serve its purpose. James Whisstock says iv‘We want to transform our understanding of the human immune system’ thus the electron microscope being the final puzzle piece towards this hidden mystery. With our immune system being driven by large biological molecules the electron microscope shows these 3D shapes and structures of…