Alzheimers disease and dementia

HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II

Alzheimer 's disease and dementia

Sarah C . Mensah

Institution name (enter by urself

Professor William Fullerton

SCI 202

Abstract

Alzheimer disease , the most common cause of old-age-associated dementia accounts for over 50 of the dementias seen in the general adult population . Current projections indicate that over 4 million Americans will be suffering from various stages of the disease . Clinically Alzheimer disease is characterized by a progressive deterioration of cognitive and physical status that sometimes begins during middle age (presenile dementia ) but more typically

has onset late in life (senile dementia , with considerable variability in behavioral manifestation Diagnosis of Alzheimer disease requires both the presence of dementia and a characteristic pattern of neuropathology , including the presence of gross atrophy . The earliest stage of Alzheimer disease can generally be characterized by mild memory disturbances . This phase may be followed by one or more of a combination of agnosia , aphsia , and apraxia

Alzheimer 's disease and dementia

Alzheimer 's disease and dementia

Dementia is a gradual deterioration of mental functioning affecting all areas of cognition , including , judgment , language , and memory . An irreversible , progressive condition in which nerve cells in the brain degenerate , and the size of the brain decreases

Dementia generally occurs in the elderly , although it can appear at any age . Several substantial studies have been done to determine its prevalence , and in 1991 a major study was conducted which found that dementia occurred in just over 1 percent in ages 75 to 84 and more than...