The Mystery Of Alzheimer s Disease - 1537 Words

Mystery Alzheimer’s Maury Lemons Nur 203 Midland University 16 October, 2015 Mystery Alzheimer’s Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. The purpose of this paper is to discuss medical definition, etiology, signs and symptoms, stages of disease progression, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is Ultimately fatal. Medical Definition. Alzheimer s disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks the brain s nerve cells, or neurons, resulting in loss of memory, thinking and language skills, and behavioral changes. These neurons, which produce the brain chemical, or neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, break connections with other nerve cells and ultimately die. For example, short-term memory fails when Alzheimer s disease first destroys nerve cells in the hippocampus, and language skills and judgment decline when neurons die in the cerebral cortex. Two types of abnormal lesions clog the brains of individuals with Alzheimer s disease: Beta-amyloid plaques—sticky clumps of protein fragments and cellular material that form outside and around neurons; and neurofibrillary tangles—insoluble twisted fibers composed largely of the protein tau that build up inside nerve cells. Although these structures are hallmarks of the disease, scientists are unclear whether they cause it or a byproduct of it. Origi n of the termShow MoreRelatedSymptoms And Symptoms Of Alzheimer s Disease930 Words   |  4 PagesAlzheimer’s Disease Kevin Arnold from the Wonder Years said â€Å"Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, and the things never want to lose.† Memories are the things that are upheld, whether good or bad, those memories are imprinted in the mind and cannot be taken away that is, until later in life. As one ages it is natural for some memories to fade. Loss of memories and brain function deficits that occur and are not from normal aging may indicate a person is sufferingRead MoreThe Most Common Risk Factor For Alzheimer Disease1537 Words   |  7 Pageshave done extensive research on the factors that may afflict alzheimer s disease. Risk factors on their own are not causes of a disease. Risk factors represent an increased chance, but not a certainty, that Alzheimer’s disease will develop. The most common risk factors are age,history and heredity but evidence suggests that there may other factors that can be influenced. Ageing is the most common risk factor for alzheimer disease. Most individuals that are diagnosed with this condition areRead MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Alzheimer s Disease920 Words   |  4 PagesAlthough there is no cure for Alzheimer’s there are ways to treat this disease. Certain medications may help lessen the symptoms, such as memory loss and confusion but only for a limited amount of time. The Food and Drug Administration have approved the following types of medications: cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine, both of these medications treat the cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer s disease. (Office) Unfortunately, as Alzheimer’s advances the patient’s brain cells progressively die andRead MoreAd : An Unidentified Mystery1224 Words   |  5 Pagesdevelopment of AD still remain an unidentified mystery. There are some links they are those rare, inherited forms caused by a known genetic mutation. (Dekkers, W., Marcel, O. R. 2006) Those links are part of family history those who have a parent, or sibling with Alzheimer s are at a higher percentage of developing AD. (Dekkers, W., Marcel, O. R. 2006) AD is not a regular part of growing older, however, it is one of the highest risk factor for the disease. Currently, there are millions affected byRead MoreA Research Study On Alzheimer s Disease1339 Words   |  6 Pagesare a couple types of dementia. This research paper is about Alzheimer s Disease (AD) which is a specific type of dementia that is closely related to aging. AD accounts for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases. AD usually affects people 65 and older, but i t can start in rare cases around 40 to 50. 5.3 million people in America have been diagnosed with AD, and almost two thirds of the population that has been diagnosed are women (Alzheimer s Association, 2015). Learning about AD can help people understandRead MoreAlzheimer s Disease : A Type Of Dementia1154 Words   |  5 Pages Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia that causes problems with your memory and behavior. Dementia is a term for the severe loss of mental ability that it interferes with your daily life. This is caused by damage to the brain cells. Alzheimer s disease is the most common type of dementia and is characterized by gradual declines mental abilities (Journal of Clinical Diagnostic Research, 2016). The disease slowly attacks nerve cells in all parts of the brain and some surrounding structuresRead More Alzheimers Disease Essay1733 Words   |  7 Pages Alzheimers Disease Alzheimer ¡Ã‚ ¦s disease is a slow, progressive, and degenerative disease of the brain. This disease is marked by a gradual loss of memory and other cognitive functions. quot;Alzheimers Disease is also known as the most common cause of dementia--a general term referring to the loss of memory and the ability to think, reason, function, and behave properlyquot; (Medina,1999). It primarily affects adults in their 60s or older and eventually destroys a persons ability to performRead MoreAlzheimer s Disease : A Normal Part Of Aging And That It Isn t Fatal1315 Words   |  6 Pages ii. Research shows that Alzheimer’s disease causes changes in the brain for decades prior to the first symptoms become visible, so even people who seem free of the disease today might be at risk. iii. Alzheimer s disease has no survivors. It s a disease that destroys your brain cells and causes it to malfunction, change memory, which results in unpredictable behaviors and loss of body functions. It gradually and agonizingly takes away a person s characteristics, ability to bond withRead MoreLong Term Effects Of Alzheimer s Disease1176 Words   |  5 PagesEffects of Alzheimer’s Disease? A Review of the Literature Dementia, defined by the Alzheimer’s Association, is the overall term for diseases and conditions characterized by a decline in memory or other thinking skills that affects a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. More than 250,000 Americans will develop dementia (including Alzheimer s) when they are sixty-five or older and at eighty-five the risk of developing Alzheimer’s is fifty percent. Since this disease was found in 1907 byRead MoreAlzheimer s Disease And Its Effects On The Brain1132 Words   |  5 Pages Last year my maternal Aunt Kate passed away. She had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) about eight years earlier. My maternal grandmother also had been diagnosed with AD before her death. Later this month I will accompany my 77-year-old mother to her neurologist appointment. While she has not been diagnosed with AD, she has been prescribed Donepezil (Aricept), one of the newer drugs that are thought to reduce the declin e in memory in patients that have or might be developing dementia