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Alzheimer’s Disease Explained
By Matthew | December 16, 2007
Alzheimer’s Disease is a condition characterized by the loss of memory and eventual loss of function/ability to reason. This disease affects aging seniors and may (though symptom severity varies) affect 50% of those over the age of 85. However, Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging; people may live to be very old while never being affected by the disease.
Early onset (in the 40’s or 50’s) of Alzheimer’s results in 2-5% of the cases. Half these cases are the result of genetic inheritance of the gene associated with the disease.
Other possible causes of Alzheimer’s disease include high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
Symptoms
The symptoms of Alzheimer’s are progressive. Loss of memory by those with the disease in the initial stages of the disease are very minor. Most people usually dismiss these symptoms as the normal part of aging. When these symptoms worsen, it becomes apparent it is not normal. The loss of memory soon turns into the loss of the ability to perform cognitive function. Examples include not being able to understand what is being read or not understanding simple tasks.
Prognosis
The prognosis of Alzheimer’s disease most often does not include death. The disease is progressive and will eventually render its victims unable to function at all. Alzheimer’s patients in the late stages most often don’t know where they live or know anybody around them, nor can they control their bladders. Death can sometimes occur if the patients aren’t given proper care. They will not eat, bathe, or do any other mandatory task; for this reason, pneumonia (or some other condition caused by deteriorated states of health) can cause death. But most patients will die from some other cause as long as they are given the proper care.
The cause of Alzheimer’s disease is unknown. The leading hypothesis is that the disease is the result of excess ABeta protein in the brain. There has been studies concerning ways of decreasing the amount of A? in the brain. But this only addresses the inherited versions of the disease. The un-inherited versions don’t have an excess of A?. For these cases, there is no known cause.
Topics: Brain Disease |
June 4th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
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