Essay on Alzheimers Disease - 1503 Words

â€Å"Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that gets worse over time. It leads to nerve cell death, and tissue loss throughout the brain. Over time, the brain shrinks dramatically, affecting nearly all its functions. It gradually destroys a persons memory and ability to learn and carry out daily activities such as talking, eating, and going to the bathroom† (What Is Alzheimer’s). Early symptoms include personality changes, memory impairment, problems with language, decision-making ability, judgment, and personality. Alzheimer’s was named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who died of an unusual mental illness. After she died, he examined her and found plaques and†¦show more content†¦Brain imaging is a huge factor in helping to diagnose Alzheimer’s. Some of the technologies are computerized tomography, which is a body scan. It’s currently used mainly to rule o ut tumors, strokes, and head injuries. There is magnetic resonance imaging, which uses radio waves to produce a strong detailed image of your brain, and there is positron emission tomography, that injects you with a low-level radioactive tracer to show which parts of your brain aren’t functioning properly. Future diagnostic tools include additional approaches to brain imaging, measuring levels of proteins and patterns in blood, and more sensitive mental status tests. There are 7 stages that a person goes through when experiencing Alzheimer’s. Stage 1 doesn’t include any memory impairment. Stage 2 involves very mild cognitive decline. â€Å"The person may feel as if he or she is having memory lapses-forgetting familiar words or the location of everyday objects.† A stage 3 patient may have problems coming up with the right word or name. Stage 4 includes forgetfulness of recent events and forgetfulness of one’s own personal history. Stage 5 patients become confused about what day it is and are unable to recall own telephone number and address. Stage 6 involves the person losing awareness of surroundings and having difficulty controlling their bladder. Lastly, stage 7 patients need help with everyday living, unable to do anything on theirShow MoreRelatedAlzheimers Disease945 Words   |  4 PagesAlzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressive neurological disease; it often attacks the brain tissues causing memory loss of one’s identity and regular behaviors. Statistics indicates that the rate of predicted people to get Alzheimer’s will increase briskly as time goes on. There are currently no cures for such disastrous disease, but there are currently approved treatments available that can help people within the early stages of Alzheimer’s. Once the disease is too far alongRead MoreAlzheimers Disease3170 Words   |  13 PagesThe Role of Caregiving to Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease Megan Zann April 27, 2012 Health Psychology Dr. Ackerman Introduction It is normal to periodically forget your keys or a homework assignment, because you generally remember these things later. However, individuals who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease may forget things more often, but they do not remember them again. The incidence of Alzheimer’s disease has dramatically increased because people are living longer. This is a result ofRead MoreAlzheimers Disease Essay2414 Words   |  10 PagesAlzheimers Disease Alzheimer’s disease is the disease of the century. This disease is affecting many lives, families, and caregivers. This research presented is to help educate on the topic of Alzheimer’s disease, which many people aren’t aware enough about. Statistics are given to show how extreme this disease is, and how many people it’s affecting in society. 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Alzheimer’s is usually diagnosed in people over the age of 65, but in rarer cases people as young as 16 have it. Since it is a degenerative disease, patients develop it with few symptoms at an earlier stage, but thenRead More Alzheimer’s Disease Essay1176 Words   |  5 PagesAlzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s Disease is a disease of the future. With the growing aged population, this disease, which affects primarily the elderly, will become of increasing relevance to the medical profession. Also, the high frequency of Alzheimer’s, and the high cost in labor, money, and material of caring for its victims shall put considerable burden on the society as a whole. Here, however, these issues are not going to be debated. Instead the pathology of Alzheimer’s will be reviewedRead More Alzheimers Disease Essay1235 Words   |  5 PagesAlzheimer’s Disease is an irreversible, genetically linked illness. This disease was chosen for the topic of this essay under the consideration that in many families the illness can be incredibly tragic, passing down for generations without mercy. It is not rare to encounter families in which each member is afflicted with a form, mild or severe, of Alzheimer’s. The disease is a progressive brain disease which comes in t wo separate types: Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease and Late-Onset Alzheimer’s