Essay - Alzheimer's Disease Introduction Alzheimer's Disease Has Developed into a Major...

Alzheimer's Disease

Introduction

Alzheimer's disease has developed into a major health concern for the elderly population throughout the world. This degenerative brain disorder was first described by Alois Alzheimer in 1907. Today Alzheimer's is one of the most prevalent forms ***** bra***** d*****orders contributing to as much as 50 to 70 % of all reported c*****es of dementia. Over the years ***** study of early onset Alzheimer's disease (pre-senile AD) has kind of overshadowed the study of late ***** Alzheimer in elderly group. However the disease statistics indicate an increasing susceptibility of the older population. Approximately 5% ***** the population above 65 years of age and around 20% of the people above 85 years of age are affected by *****'s disease. Hence what was previously ignored as an inevitable old ***** symptom (senile *****) is now being properly recognized as an illness. ***** new perspective of ***** h***** resulted in a drastically altered underst*****ing and ***** approach towards diagnosis and treatment. Let us study ***** disease in a little det*****il by analyzing the symptoms ***** the etiology along with ***** diagnostic approaches and the currently available treatment methods. In ***** process we will also briefly discuss some other common ***** ***** dementia and how AD can be differentiated from them.

The Alzheimer's Disease

***** is a progressive, degenerative, and irreversible *****in ***** that stifles the normal cognitive and functional abilities of the affected person. There is a gradual deterioration of ***** mental faculties, which may ultimately lead to total dysfunction ***** the brain resulting in ***** death of the patient. In general the progress ***** the d*****ease is very slow and steady and this presents considerable difficulty in early identification of the disease. ***** ***** some patients there is a sudden and rapid decline in brain function leading to death in a few ye*****rs. Since the human brain is very adaptive ***** onset of Alzheimer's disease may not be obvious ***** it is only when as much as 80% of the ***** cells are damaged ***** ***** conspicuous. [Bennett, 63]

The main cause for the ***** is the destruction ***** ***** brain cells particularly in the cortex region. In the first stage of the dise*****e ***** region in the cerebral cortex that is associated w*****h memory is affected. Then as the dise*****e progresses other regions in the cerebral cortex also undergo progressive deterioration lead*****g to total impairment of functional and cognitive abilities. Though as in any ***** *****m ***** dementia syndrome memory loss is one of the chief and ********** problems the effect ***** the disease extends to much more than memory loss and in most of the cases there is a ***** crippling of the brain functions *****reby affecting the individuals ability ***** re***** ***** respond appropriately to the outside world.

Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease

As discussed ***** Alzheimer's disease is characterized by a wide variety ***** symptoms from memory loss or amnesia, language difficulties, Dyspraxia or difficulties in perf*****ming complex tasks to depression and o*****r kinds of psychotic