The Sixth Leading Cause Of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized as a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. It is irreversible and it slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to perform simple tasks. Unfortunately, Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and over five million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s. There are many symptoms within each category of Alzheimer’s. In mild Alzheimer’s disease, where Alzheimer’s is usually diagnosed, the person presents with memory loss and other problems such as behavior changes, losing things, repeating questions, getting lost, and taking longer to complete activities of daily living. In the next category, moderate Alzheimer’s
There have been many studies on the connection between different disease and the cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease. For examples, scientists are studying the relationship of certain diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, and metabolic conditions such as obesity and diabetes to Alzheimer’s and whether lowering the risk factors for these conditions can help reduce the chance of having Alzheimer’s. Other factors that are linked to a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s include depression, low educational attainment, and high levels of homocysteine. It is believed that “Alzheimer’s could be prevented world wide if lifestyle based, chronic disease risk factors were reduced by 25%” (Landau). Although certain conditions may increase the chance of having Alzheimer’s, there are also certain factors that may help to reduce the risk of having Alzheimer’s in the future. The University of California researched previous studies done on this topic and were able to conclude that there are some things that can be done to help reduce the risk of having Alzheimer’s. Some of the lifestyle changes that are suggested include eating a healthy diet, having a healthy intake of folate, vitamin C and E, fish consumption and staying intellectually active. Along with these, medications such as estrogen, blood pressure medications, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been linked to having a reduced chance of developing Alzheimer’s. Additionally, there have been some clinical trials where scientists have been studying if reducing risk factors will help reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s. To sum it up, there is research showing that changes in lifestyle such as being social might have reduce the risk of developing