Alzheimers Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease
Brittany Mathis
HCS/245
July 14,2013
Tynan Weed
Abstract
Alzheimer’s has many causes and affects each patient differently. There have been studies done that have found that older African American’s are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than older whites. A cause of Alzheimer’s has not been completely identified yet, but genetic and environmental factors are known to increase the risk. While we all know that Alzheimer’s is a complicated disease there are many signs that go along with each stage of the disease. Along with Alzheimer’s comes a series of complications.
Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s is one of the most commonly diagnosed diseases in the elderly but is found to be most common in African Americans. This disease is a neurodegenerative disorder (loss of neurons) that is devastating and always fatal. Alzheimer’s has many causes and affects each patient differently with many different risk factors. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease got its name from Dr. Alois Alzheimer who was a German neurologist who discovered some different changes in a woman’s brain tissue that had passed away (Cayton, Graham, & Warner,2001). This disease is a neurodegenerative disorder (loss of neurons) that is devastating and always fatal. Alzheimer’s disease in general is found in one in 1,000 in people 65 and under. As we get older the disease is more common being diagnosed in 3 in 100 people 65 and older. Those who are 80 will see the most amount of diagnosis’s being at a rate of 10-15 per 100 people. While we all know that Alzheimer’s is a complicated disease there are many signs that go along with each stage of the disease. Some of the common early signs of Alzheimer’s are language problems, misplacing items, getting lost on familiar routes, personality changes and loss of social skills, losing interest in things previously enjoyed, difficulty
Brittany Mathis
HCS/245
July 14,2013
Tynan Weed
Abstract
Alzheimer’s has many causes and affects each patient differently. There have been studies done that have found that older African American’s are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than older whites. A cause of Alzheimer’s has not been completely identified yet, but genetic and environmental factors are known to increase the risk. While we all know that Alzheimer’s is a complicated disease there are many signs that go along with each stage of the disease. Along with Alzheimer’s comes a series of complications.
Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s is one of the most commonly diagnosed diseases in the elderly but is found to be most common in African Americans. This disease is a neurodegenerative disorder (loss of neurons) that is devastating and always fatal. Alzheimer’s has many causes and affects each patient differently with many different risk factors. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease got its name from Dr. Alois Alzheimer who was a German neurologist who discovered some different changes in a woman’s brain tissue that had passed away (Cayton, Graham, & Warner,2001). This disease is a neurodegenerative disorder (loss of neurons) that is devastating and always fatal. Alzheimer’s disease in general is found in one in 1,000 in people 65 and under. As we get older the disease is more common being diagnosed in 3 in 100 people 65 and older. Those who are 80 will see the most amount of diagnosis’s being at a rate of 10-15 per 100 people. While we all know that Alzheimer’s is a complicated disease there are many signs that go along with each stage of the disease. Some of the common early signs of Alzheimer’s are language problems, misplacing items, getting lost on familiar routes, personality changes and loss of social skills, losing interest in things previously enjoyed, difficulty
References: Alzheimers Association. (2010). Alzheimers Association. Retrieved from http://www.alz.org/documents_custom/report_alzfactsfigures2010.pdf Cayton, H., Graham, N., & Warner, J. (2001). Dementia: Alzheimer 's and other Dementias: The At Your Fingertips Guide (2nd ed.). London, GBR: Class Publishing. Cleveland Clinic Foundation. (1995). Environmental factors in Alzheimer 's disease. Retrieved from: http://www.cchs.net/health/health-info/docs/2300/2344.asp?index=9174 Helpguide. (2010). Alzheimer 's disease: Signs, symptoms, and stages of Alzheimer 's disease. Retrieved from helpguide website: http://www.helpguide.org/elder/alzheimers_disease_symptoms_stages.htm Kantor, D. (2010). Alzheimer 's disease. Retrieved from PubMed Health website: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001767 Mattson, M. P. (2004). Alzheimer 's disease. In F. I. Tarazi., & J.A. Schetz. (Ed.)., Neurological and psychiatric disorders: From bench to bedside (pp. 51-62). Totowa, NJ: Humana Press National Institute of Aging. (2008). Alzheimer 's disease genetics fact sheet. Retrieved from: http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications/geneticsfs.htm