Preview

Unit 14: Pysiological disorders

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2368 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Unit 14: Pysiological disorders
Alzheimer’s disease:
There's no lifestyle factor that's been conclusively shown to reduce your risk of Alzheimer's disease. However, some evidence suggests that the same factors that put you at risk of heart disease may also increase the chance that you'll develop Alzheimer's. Examples include:
Lack of exercise
Smoking
High blood pressure
High blood cholesterol
Poorly controlled diabetes
A diet lacking in fruits and vegetables
Lack of social engagement
These risk factors are also linked to vascular dementia, a type of dementia caused by damaged blood vessels in the brain. Working with your health care team on a plan to control these factors will help protect your heart — and may also help reduce your risk of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.
Lifelong learning and social engagement
Studies have found an association between lifelong involvement in mentally and socially stimulating activities and reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease. Factors that may reduce your risk of Alzheimer's include:
Higher levels of formal education
A stimulating job
Mentally challenging leisure activities, such as reading, playing games or playing a musical instrument
Frequent social interactions
Scientists can't yet explain this link. One theory is that using your brain develops more cell-to-cell connections, which protects your brain against the impact of Alzheimer-related changes. Another theory is that it may be harder to measure cognitive decline in people who exercise their minds frequently or who have more education. Still another explanation is that people with Alzheimer's disease may be less inclined to seek out stimulating activities years before their disease can be diagnosed.

Signs:

1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life. One of the most common signs of Alzheimer’s, especially in the early stages, is forgetting recently learned information. Others include forgetting important dates or events; asking for the same information over and over;

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    The most common memory impairment experienced by individuals with dementia is short-term memory loss. However, the individuals may be able to remember things that happened many years ago. Other memory impairments could include:…

    • 1934 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    As Harry Johns, Alzheimer Association CEO and President says, “In the course of the past several decades, we have seen remarkable progress in the area of public health. Unfortunately, Alzheimer 's is not one of the areas in which we have seen that level of discovery because of the chronic underinvestment in Alzheimer 's research, which needs to be addressed now" (alz.org/research center).…

    • 1990 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Whilst it is possible to develop the condition earlier - at least 1 in 20 people with dementia developed it at age under 65 (see our page on young-onset dementia) - the chances of developing dementia rise significantly as we get older. Above the age of 65, a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia doubles roughly every 5 years. It is estimated that dementia affects one in 14 people over 65 and one in six over 80. This may be due to factors associated with ageing, such as: • higher blood pressure • increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (eg heart disease and stroke) • changes to nerve cells, DNA and cell structure • loss of sex hormones after mid-life changes • the weakening of the body's natural repair…

    • 1160 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Dem 301

    • 2098 Words
    • 9 Pages

    So far, no one single factor has been identified as a cause for Alzheimer's disease. It is likely that a combination of factors, including age, genetic inheritance, environmental factors, diet and overall general health, are responsible. In some people, the disease may develop silently for many years before symptoms appear and the onset of clinical disease may require a trigger.…

    • 2098 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, and social/behavioral skills. The direct cause of it is not yet fully understood, but based on studies, the disease seems to be a result of the combination of genetic material, lifestyle, and environmental factors that affect the brain. While Alzheimer’s is most commonly found among people above the age of 65, it is not what would considered a normal part of aging. However, it is the most common risk factor for this disease. As the age of a person reaches 65, the risk of getting this disease doubles every five years.…

    • 956 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dementia 001

    • 769 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Alzheimer’s disease is most common cause of dementia affecting around 490000 people in the UK alone , the symptoms can include mood changes quite quickly where the mood swings , loss of memory , changes in behaviour and problems communicating and simple reasoning , depression and affects the short term memory , individuals find it…

    • 769 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    dementia unit 33

    • 5506 Words
    • 17 Pages

    Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, which means that gradually, over time, more parts of the brain are damaged. As this happens, the symptoms become more and more severe.…

    • 5506 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    My grandma has been unfortunate enough to have had this disease for the last 21 years and is now in the last stages of it, so I have experience with the whole side of it to contrast with. According to Arnett (2012, pp.555), “[The elderly tend] to have difficulties performing activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, dressing, food preparation, and eating”. In the case of my grandmother, once her Alzheimer’s onset at age 58 she had exponentially increasing challenges performing ADLs. According to Arnett, “There is an early onset form of Alzheimer’s disease, occurring before age 65, which clearly has a genetic basis…However this kind of Alzheimer’s accounts for only about 5% of cases” (2012, pp.572). So my grandma has the rare form of the disease which is illustrated by her mother having the disease also; which is the genetic factor mentioned…

    • 1475 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Hca/240 Final

    • 1836 Words
    • 8 Pages

    There are many different things in the environment that prevent us from aging in a healthy way. Medical research reveals that environmental factors play a major role in the majority of cases of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Diet, exercise, and exposure to toxic chemicals and other environmental pollutants, and socioeconomic stress can alter biochemical pathways influencing the risk of these diseases and other chronic illnesses…

    • 1836 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Alzetimers Diease

    • 1990 Words
    • 8 Pages

    However, some evidence suggests that the same factors that put you at risk of heart disease may also increase the chance that you'll develop Alzheimer's. Examples include:…

    • 1990 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In 1906, Dr. Alois Alzheimer was the first one to recognize the abnormality of a brain affected with Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. With Alzheimer’s the connections between the brain cells deteriorate and die, which causes the memory loss. There are many myths surrounding Alzheimer’s disease. “It is a normal part of aging” is one of the biggest. While some memory loss is expected with aging, Alzheimer’s is concerned with a severe amount of memory loss. The severity can limit a person’s ability to perform daily tasks. “Older people are the only ones who get it” is one that seems to go hand-in-hand with Alzheimer’s being a normal part of aging. While the majority of those who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s are between the ages of 65-80, there are cases where early onset can be detected as early as ones 40s or 50s. Past treatments included treating some of the symptoms because there was no known cure. Medication to treat depression and memory loss were able to help some of the symptoms, but some had seen cognitive effects because of this.…

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    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…

    • 1234 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Alzheimer's is a disease of the brain that causes a loss in memory. This results in dementia, loss of brain functions (thinking, remembering, and reasoning) severe enough to interfere with everyday life. When German physician, Alois Alzheimer, first described the disease in 1907, it was thought to be rare. Today, Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting 10% of people 65 years old, and nearly 50% of those age 85 or older. An estimated four million Americans have Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's disease usually begins gradually, causing a person to forget recent events and to have difficulty performing familiar tasks. How quickly the disease advances differs from person to person, causing confusion, personality and behavior changes, and impaired judgment. Communication becomes difficult for Alzheimer's patients. They struggle to find words, finish thoughts, or follow directions. Eventually, people with Alzheimer's become unable to care for themselves.…

    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Central Idea: Alzheimer's disease affects millions of Americans each year thus it is important to become familiar with the risk factors, symptoms and treatment options available for those living with the disease.…

    • 1328 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Study Corner

    • 2963 Words
    • 12 Pages

    The brain is a 3-lb powerhouse of activity containing approximately 100 billion neurons. These neurons continue to grow even as a person ages. The New England Journal of Medicine reported that adults who frequently engage in stimulating activities are 63 percent less likely to develop dementia compared to those who rarely do. Games that exercise your brain can have a positive impact by improving memory and logical analysis.…

    • 2963 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics