Alzheimer's Disease: Symptoms and Treatment
“Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease of the human brain that is characterized by impairment of memory and a disturbance in at least one other thinking function” (Bronstein & Pulst, 2003). When we hear about Alzheimer’s disease we automatically think of older people. This is because this disease most often occurs in adults after the age of 65. Statistics show that one in eight individuals will have Alzheimer’s after they reach age 65 (Cavanaugh & Blanchard-Fields, 2002). Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia, which is any medical condition that affects the brain (Cavanaugh & Blanchard-Fields, 2002).
A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is said to be a “diagnosis by exclusion” (Bronstein & Pulst, 2003). This means that there is no certain test just for Alzheimer’s, but many tests that rule out other diseases. The early stages deal with short-term memory loss. Examples of this include forgetting to turn off the stove, forgetting what medications were taken in a particular day, or forgetting which medications need to be taken. As the disease progresses there is more visibility in the declines in abstract thinking and intellectual function development (Bronstein & Pulst, 2003). As the disease enters the final stages, individuals become very confused and disorientated. At this point the individual’s health status has become severely deteriorated and this can cause them to develop pneumonia or other illnesses that may lead to death. Consequently, most people do not die from Alzheimer’s, but other health related problems. Alzheimer’s disease can last anywhere from six to eight years, however it can be present without obvious symptoms for two to twenty years. The on-set of Alzheimer’s disease is very slow (Bronstein & Pulst, 2003).
There are many factors that play a role in the cause of Alzheimer’s disease. This disease is also genetic—a person that has family members with the disease possesses an increased chance of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s also. This
A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is said to be a “diagnosis by exclusion” (Bronstein & Pulst, 2003). This means that there is no certain test just for Alzheimer’s, but many tests that rule out other diseases. The early stages deal with short-term memory loss. Examples of this include forgetting to turn off the stove, forgetting what medications were taken in a particular day, or forgetting which medications need to be taken. As the disease progresses there is more visibility in the declines in abstract thinking and intellectual function development (Bronstein & Pulst, 2003). As the disease enters the final stages, individuals become very confused and disorientated. At this point the individual’s health status has become severely deteriorated and this can cause them to develop pneumonia or other illnesses that may lead to death. Consequently, most people do not die from Alzheimer’s, but other health related problems. Alzheimer’s disease can last anywhere from six to eight years, however it can be present without obvious symptoms for two to twenty years. The on-set of Alzheimer’s disease is very slow (Bronstein & Pulst, 2003).
There are many factors that play a role in the cause of Alzheimer’s disease. This disease is also genetic—a person that has family members with the disease possesses an increased chance of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s also. This