Alzheimer`s Desease

Alzheimer 's Disease

Alzheimer 's disease is the most common form of dementia , the deterioration of intellectual , cognitive , and reasoning abilities . It is a progressive brain dis wherein nerve cells in memory areas begin to die rapidly resulting to memory loss and destroys a person 's ability to learn , make judgments , communicate , and perform ordinary tasks . There is no known cause but scientists discovered environmental and genetic (family history ) factors . People over 65 are at risks of having the disease . Scientists also found rare specific genes called apppolipoprotein E in few

families . Individuals who have these genes are certain to develop Alzheimer 's before 65 or even late 30s or 40s and this could inherit by other family members . Some 4 .5 millions Americans have Alzheimer 's , which doubled since 1980 , and by 2050 , the number will grow between 11 .3 to 16 million . The disease , which claims 100 ,000 lives a year , is the 4th leading cause of death among elderly people after heart disease , cancer and stroke . Average survival after diagnosis is from four to 8 years . The prevalence of Alzheimer 's disease in the US shows that people age over 65 has 5-10 percent of contracting the disease while those over 80 has 20-30 percent

Symptoms : The Early or Mild Stage consists of memory loss (misplacing objects , repeating stories and conversations , difficulty in recalling names and conversations , difficulty in learning new information , and personality changes (easily upset or anxious , decrease motivation and drive . The Middle or Moderate involves worsening of memory loss depression , agitation , confusion , disorientation , paranoia , always dependent on the family in making choices and managing personal matters In the Late or Severe , the patient becomes unaware of time and place unable to identify family members , feels insecure and suspicious , loses coordination , requires full attention , and cannot sleep well

Diagnosis : Doctors can accurately conclude whether a person has Alzheimer 's disease when they examine the brain during an autopsy . There are no specific tests to detect the disease . Physicians undertake medical and neurogical evaluation which may include the checking of the medical history assessment of the mental status to determine sense of time and place , ability to remember , understand , and communicate and do simple math problems tests on memory , reasoning , vision-motor coordination , and language skills a physical examination of blood pressure , pulse , and nutritional status neurogical examination a brain scan lab test for blood and urine and a psychiatric evaluation to assess emotional factors and mood

Treatment : Currently there is no cure for Alzheimer 's disease . The primary goals of treatment are to improve the patient 's quality of life There are drugs that may help prevent some symptoms from worsening at the early and middle stages of the disease and are designed to avert the breakdown of acetycholine , a chemical messenger in the brain that is used for memory and other thinking skills . They are tacrine (Cognex donepezil (Aricept , rivastigmine (Exelon , or galantamine , formerly known as Reminy and memantine (Namenda . Non-drug approach , on the other hand , involves support and education for caregivers and family on how to manage problematic behavior , perform therapeutic activities , modify the environment for the patient to be safer and at ease , and use of appropriate communication techniques to understand the patient 's needs These programs equip caregivers and family at improving their skills in caring for Alzheimer 's patients

References

The University of Oklahoma , Health science center , Department of pathology . Alzheimer 's Disease . Retrieved March 20 , 2006 from HYPERLINK "http /w3 .uokhsc .edu /pathology /deptlabs /diagnostic_center_for_alzheimer .htm http /w3 .uokhsc .edu /pathology /deptlabs /diagnostic_center_for_alzheimer htm

US National Institute of Health , National Institute on Aging . What is Alzheimer 's disease (AD

Retrieved March 20 , 2006 from HYPERLINK "http /www .nia .nih .gov /Alzheimers /AlzheimersInformation /Treatment http /www .nia .nih .gov /Alzheimers /AlzheimersInformation /Treatment

Alzheimer 's Association Fact Sheet . Statistics about Alzheimer 's Disease . Retrieved March 20 , 2006 from HYPERLINK "http /www .alz .org http /www .alz .org

Alzheimer 's Disease International (April 1999 . The Prevalence of Dementia Fact Sheet No . 3 . Retrieved March 20 , 2006 from http /www .alz .co .uk

Alzheimer 's Foundation of America . About Alzheimer 's . Retrieved March 20 , 2006 from HYPERLINK "http /alzfdn .org /alzheimers /index .shtml http /alzfdn .org /alzheimers /index .shtml

Alzheimer 's Facts , Disease Prevention and Treatment Strategies Retrieved March 20 , 2006 from HYPERLINK "http /www .healingwithnutrition .com /adisease /alzheimers /alzheimers .html A1 http /www .healingwithnutrition .com /adisease /alzheimers /alzheimers .html A1...