Alzheimer's Disease

I decided to do my project on Alzheimer's. So what is it?

Well,

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive disease that affects the nervous system,

specifically the brain and the destruction of its neurons.

It begins at the areas that are responsible for memory,

the enter final cortex and the hippocampus

and slowly starts affecting language, speech and eventually simple motor skills.

This is not a normal part of aging and all damages are irreversible.

Yeah,

on the left is a normal brain and on the right is actually a brain

that has been affected by Alzheimer's and has had many of its neurons destroyed.

So what are the causes of Alzheimer's?

Well, it's not yet fully understood what causes Alzheimer's,

but scientists do believe that a multitude of factors are at play, such as genetics,

environmental factors, lifestyle, age, which can all affect the brain.

Over a period of time

buildups of protein called amyloid plaques and tau

in the brain are also believed to play a key role in the progression of this illness

and a little bit of history.

This is Dr. Alloy.

Alzheimer first he described the disease was in 1906

when he noticed abnormalities in a woman's brain tissue.

Her name was August de who had passed away due to a strange mental illness.

He then worked alongside Garitano pursue Winnie to study and research the illness,

observing three more similar cases, one of which was that of joseph f

right. So how was it diagnosed?

Well,

physicians can order psychiatric evaluations, memory problems problems,

solving problems, language tests

and other blood tests to be performed

brain scans can also be requested for, such as mris cts, pet scans

to support a diagnosis or to rule out other illnesses.

In addition, many new tests are also being created,

such as a blood test that can measure the levels of beta amyloid,

the protein that is associated with the deposits

that are found in patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

So what are the symptoms of these patients?

Well,

early signs of Alzheimer's disease is the

inability to re retain newly learned information.

However, not all symptoms are memory related,

such as the impairment of judgment and

reasoning changes in mood and personality wandering.

But as the disease develops into the moderate

stage symptoms can range from difficulty with language,

increased memory loss, hallucinations,

and even struggles with recognizing family.

And when the disease progresses far enough to be deemed late stage,

which goes on the complete other end of the spectrum,

patients may be incapable of communicating

and controlling their bowels slash bladder.

They may lose weight, suffer from seizures, have difficulty swallowing,

they might be asleep much more often.

So who is more at risk for this disease?

Well, Alzheimer's disease is most common for individuals who are in their mid 60s.

However, despite being extremely rare, early onset,

Alzheimer's can occur in those between 30 to 60 years old,

Females are also known to be more at risk

for Alzheimer's with them outnumbering men by over 2-1

countless studies and findings also indicate that african

americans are also more likely to be affected

in the United States.

This percentage is approximately twice as high as that of caucasians

Worldwide. It is estimated that one in nine

individuals older than 65 years old will develop Alzheimer's disease,

with the likelihood of these chances increasing as they age.

Those affected by this illness have a life

expectancy of about 3-11 years after diagnosis,

depending on the severity and progression of the illness.

So,

so what are the treatments that any patient can take?

Well, there's not actually a cure for alzheimer's.

However,

there are some treatments that do exist to help manage

the symptoms or even to slow the progression of the disease

Medications are most effective during early and middle

stages of Alzheimer's and as of June 7,

2021,

the newest medication, Raducan Umarov, was approved by the FADA.

This treatment reduces amyloid deposits in the brain,

supposedly hindering the development of alzheimer's.

However, this hasn't been proven to affect other symptoms,

but on the other hand,

colonist series inhibitors have been medications that

are solely used for patients comfort,

helping them cope with their symptoms

and with this disease comes many,

many health concerns and challenges for the

family members and the patients themselves.

Those who suffer from Alzheimer's disease are more likely to develop some form

of malnutrition due the due to the gradual decline in the ability to swallow

and are very prone to accidents

because if the illness has progressed enough,

it may begin affecting the cerebellum,

the center of balance and coordination.

To add, family members must also always have someone caring for the patient.

Do they do, to their likelihood of wandering,

forgetting and in turn getting lost.

Alzheimer's Disease

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