According to the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research, over 5 million people currently suffer with the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Research is currently under way to find out exactly what causes this disease. This research shows that as our population grows the number of people with the disease will also increase.
Definition
Alzheimer's causes an individual's healthy brain tissue to degenerate, which leads to continuously declining mental ability and memory. Alzheimer's, the loss of intellectual and social abilities severe enough to interfere with daily functioning, is the most common form of Dementia. This disease does not occur normally as a part of aging but the risk of its occurrence increases with age. There is no exact cure for this disease but there are many treatments that can help to improve a patients quality of life.
Effects
In a study by an NYU medical researcher in 2007, scientists linked Alzheimer's to a variety of sources. A combination of environmental, genetic, and lifestyle factors seem to cause the onset of Alzheimer's symptoms.
The scientists concluded that Alzheimer's causes your brain cell damage which results in the various symptoms. One type of brain cell damage is plaques. A harmless protein, beta-amyloid, clumps up and effects the communication of a patient's brain cells. Neurons die causing Alzheimer's and this abnormal communication of brain cells is thought to be the cause.
In the same study scientists found that patients may also experience tangles. Tangles occur when a protein called tau, which is the internal support for brain cells, is altered and twisted. The research shows that this also causes the death of neurons.
Symptoms
In the beginning, Alzheimer's symptoms include slight confusion and some memory loss. People may forget things in their daily lives. Patients with Alzheimer's find that these memory losses worsen as time goes on. Alzheimer's patients may find that they forget appointments or conversations or lose things easily. As the disease worsens patients may repeat things or eventually forget the names of things and people.
Patients may eventually have trouble recognizing or dealing with numbers. They may not be able to find the right word to relay ideas and thoughts. Eventually patients may even have trouble writing and reading. Due to the degeneration of healthy brain cells Alzheimer's patients may lose their sense of dates and times and become disoriented in familiar surroundings. This degeneration may also prohibit their ability to make decisions and make clear judgments and decisions. Unfortunately Alzheimer's patients' daily routines may become impossible because they cannot follow sequential steps. Even the most basic tasks may become impossible.
Who's At Risk?
According to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, Alzheimer's usually strikes certain ages, sexes and lifestyles. It may also be based on heredity or pre-existing cognition problems.
The Foundation's research found that individuals 65 years old or older may be affected by Alzheimer's. It does rarely affect people younger than 40 years old. If an individuals first relatives, such as their mother and father or sister and brother, have this illness there is an increased chance that they may also develop it. There is no clear reason for this phenomenon but scientists have discovered certain mutations that increase the risk of Alzheimer's for certain families. In addition if individuals already experience memory problems worse than average people their age, the condition may worsen into Alzheimer's. Lifestyle choices that create the risk of heart disease may also promote the development of Alzheimer's. Having high blood pressure, uncontrolled diabetes, or high cholesterol are all conditions that may lead to Alzheimer's and should be managed by a doctor.
Complications
As Alzheimer's progresses patients may lose the ability to care for themselves. If an individual becomes less able to care for himself, he may also experience other illnesses. Individuals may become easily disoriented leading to frequent falls. These falls can result in broken bones or even serious head injuries. Because of the urinary incontinence individuals can experience as a symptom of Alzheimer's, patients may require a catheter. Catheters often result in urinary tract infects which left untreated can lead to worse infections. In the later stages of Alzheimer's patients may have difficulty swallowing causing them to aspirate the food or drink they consume. This can lead to pneumonia.
Treatment
There is no cure for Alzheimer's, but the Institute for Neurological Research in Los Angeles documents that there are many medications for the management of its symptoms. In addition there are non medical changes that can help with the management of the disease. According to the Alzheimer's Association, the pharmacological treatments aim to delay the progression of the loss of cognitive ability. Doctors may also prescribe drugs for other symptoms of Alzheimer's such as depression. Non pharmacological treatments include, therapy, involvement in routine activities, changes to the home to make it less dangerous, and instructions for effective communication as a patients memory falters, all accommodated with suggestions from a or health care professional or social worker.
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