Alzheimer’s disease and dementia

Alzheimer unhealthiness, the roughly common cause of old- maturate-associated insanity, accounts for everywhere 50% of the manias seen in the general adult population. Current projections indicate that every nonplus 4 meg Americans will be suffering from various stages of the disease. Clinically, Alzheimer disease is characterized by a progressive deterioration of cognitive and somatogenetic status that sometimes begins during heart and soul age (presenile dementia) entirely more(prenominal) typically has onset late in life (senile dementia), with considerable variability in behavioral manifestation.Diagnosis of Alzheimer disease requires twain the presence of dementia and a characteristic pattern of neuropathology, including the presence of perfect(a) atrophy. The earliest stage of Alzheimer disease can generally be characterized by mild memory disturbances. This phase whitethorn be followed by unrivalled or more of a combination of agnosia, aphsia, and apraxia. Alzhei mers disease and dementia monomania is a gradual deterioration of mental functioning bear upon all beas of cognition, including, judgment, language, and memory. An irreversible, progressive condition in which nerve cells in the question degenerate, and the size of the brain decreases.Dementia generally occurs in the elderly, although it can appear at any age. Several substantial studies confound been done to de endpointine its prevalence, and in 1991 a major study was conducted which found that dementia occurred in unsloped over 1 percent in ages 75 to 84 and more than doubling to 10. 14 percent in persons 85 and over. Other studies have concluded that numerous as 47 percent of people over 85 suffer from some form of dementia. Prevalence rates feed to be comparable between the sexes and across socio cultural barriers, much(prenominal) as education and class.It is also worth nothing that, despite what is a lot commonly thought, dementia is not an inevitable consequence of aging. Alzheimers disease is the most common degenerative brain disorder, although onset of the disease is rare in the lead the age of 60. After that age, the incidences of Alzheimers disease increases steadily, and than one-quarter of all individuals above the age of 85 have this disease. In addition, Alzheimers disease is the cause of some three-quarter of all cases of dementia in individuals above the age of 65. Researchers have identify many types of dementia.Including dementia resulting from Alzheimers disease, vascular dementia, substance induced dementia, dementia due to other general medical conditions, and dementia not other wise specified. More than half(a) of the persons diagnosed with dementia are classified as having dementia resulting from Alzheimers disease. This type of dementia occurs in more than half of dementia cases in the United States. There is no definitive manner in diagnosing this kind of dementia until after the patients death and an autopsy can be pe rformed on the brain. Symptoms of Alzheimers disease and DementiaGenerally speaking, dementia has a gradual onset and can take diametric routes in different people. All sufferers, however, are eventually impaired in all of cognition. Initially, dementia can appear in memory vent, which may result in being able to vividly think up events from many years past while not being able to remember events of the very recent past. Other symptoms of dementia are agnosia, which is the technical boundary for not being able to fill out familiar objects, facial agnosia, the unfitness to recognize familiar faces, and Visio spacial impairment, the inability to locate familiar places.Along with cognitive deterioration, sufferers of dementia a great deal experience related emotional disorders as they recognize their deterioration and experience anxiety about its continuation and worsening. Typical among reactions are depression, anxiety, aggression, and apathy. Psychologists are uncertain to w hat extent these symptoms are direct results of dementia or simply responses to its devastation. Dementia progressively deteriorates the brain and eventually sufferers are completely unable to care for themselves and, ultimately, the disease results in death.Causes of the Alzheimers disease and Dementia The cause of Alzheimers disease and dementia is not known, but several(prenominal) theories of causality have been advanced. These theories propose genetic, environmental, viral, immunological, biochemical, and other causes for the disease. The specific features of disease parti-color from individual to individual, but the general course of the disease is fairly coherent in most cases. The symptoms of the disease tend to be more terrible at night. The archetypal stage of disease is usually forgetfulness, accompanied by some anxiety and mild depression.This usually develops into a more dear passage of memory, especially of recent events, moderate spatial and temporal disorienta tion, loss of ability to concentrate, aphasia, and increased anxiety. This set of symptoms is usually followed by profound spatial and temporal disorientation, delusions, hallucinations, incontinence, general physical decline, and death. Alzheimers disease and memory drugs Since on that point are many possible reasons for dementia-like attributes, it is important to see a brain doctor.A neurologist is a medical doctor who specializes in the brain and the disorders affect the brain. Neurologists often specialize in a particular brain disorders that affect the brain. Neurologists often specialize in a particular brain disorder. For instance, one neurologist may treat primarily patients who have had a stroke (temporary or permanent loss of some body functioning), While other neurologists may treat primarily Alzheimers patients. Therefore, choosing an appropriate neurologist is one of the first steps in determining the correct diagnosis. History of Alzheimers diseaseA German neuropath ologist and psychiatrist named Alois Alzheimer studied a 51-year old female patient with good dementia. The woman started experiencing symptoms five years former, such as memory loss and trouble reading and writing. She rapidly declined to hallucinations and was unable to take care of herself. When Dr. Alzheimers patient died, he was able to study her brain at autopsy. Alzheimer tell that the cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain responsible for numerous functions such as movement, perception, memory, and speaking, was thinner than normal and had severe atrophy.He also noted dickens other abnormalities. The first was senile plaque (now know as neuritic plaque) that had earlier been seen in the brains of the elderly. Second, there were neurofibrillary tangles within the cortex that has not been previously described. These hallmarks, for which Alzheimer coined the term presenile dementia, are now known as Alzheimers disease. Interestingly, to this day, the only substance to definitively know that a person has AD is at autopsy. The impact of Alzheimers Alzheimers disease not only affects the patients but also the patients but also the patients family.Almost one out of three mob in the United States is affected by AD. A little over half of the care provided to AD patients is at home some estimates place the care at home enveloping(prenominal) to 75%. The combination of health care expenses and the loss of income of both the patient and the caregiver are approaching $ carbon billion nationwide. The average cost per patient from the onset of symptoms is about $ 174,000. over half of the care for residents in the United States have AD or some other form of dementia.The annual cost of caring for an AD patient ranges from $18,400 for mild symptoms to $ 36,132 for those with advanced symptoms. In addition, the average cost of nursing home care is almost $58,000 a year. Medicare and most health indemnification plans do not cover the care of an AD patien t since it is considered protective care. Caregivers are a subset of the Alzheimers picture that is often overlooked. tune and depression are reported frequently among caregivers depression affects approximately 50% of caregivers, with stress occurring in at least 80%.Not surprisingly, the emotional, financial, and sometimes physical burden of witnessing a loved one decline mentally and physically is often overwhelming. Support and hope There are several organizations devote to educating patients, families, and caregivers about Alzheimers, providing helpful insights into where to go for help and support. Researchers have been studying the AD brain with all its complexities, since Alois Alzheimer presented his patient in 1907. Science is now closer to finding some answers about what may cause AD, and therefore gaining nervous impulse on what may prevent or treat the disease.