Causes of Alzheimers Disease - Research Paper Example

? Alzheimer’s Disease First Middle initial and of Prof. First and of lecturer February 23, Abstract Alzheimer’s is a progressive and irreversible neurological disease of the brain that results in loss of memory. It is known to impede intellectual and reasoning skills and cause changes in personality and behavior thereby affecting daily life and activities. It is estimated that nearly 5.3 million people living in the United States of America suffer from Alzheimer’s (Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, n.d.a). This disease is mostly known to affect people over 60 years and is substantially burdensome to those affected, their caregivers, and society in general. The exact cause of Alzheimer’s is still unknown. However, scientists have identified several risk factors that increase one’s chances of developing Alzheimer’s. Some of the risk factors include being above 60 years, family history, Down’s syndrome, mild cognitive impairment, risk factors for heart disease, and processed foods and fertilizers. Alzheimer’s begins with the initial symptom of forgetfulness and slowly progresses to loss of memory and difficulty in the areas of perception, thinking, judgment, language and emotional behavior. As the disease becomes more severe, the individual exhibits inability to recognize family members and understand language. They also show difficulty in performing basic activities like eating, dressing and bathing. Currently there is no cure for Alzheimer’s. However, there are medications and non-medication based treatments that are used to slow down the advance of the disease and help patients with some of the symptoms. Numerous studies are currently underway to find a promising cure for this disease. Alzheimer’s Disease Introduction Alzheimer’s disease, also known as Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (SDAT), is a progressive and irreversible neurological disease of the brain that results in loss of memory. It is known to impede intellectual and reasoning skills and cause changes in personality and behavior thereby affecting daily life and activities (Nordqvist, 2009). Dementia is not a disease but rather a group of symptoms that may accompany certain disease and conditions. It therefore affects ones social and occupational functioning. It is estimated that nearly 35 million people worldwide from all racial, economic, and educational backgrounds suffer from Alzheimer’s (Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, n.d.a). Out of these nearly 5.3 million people live in the United States of America (Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, n.d.a). This disease is mostly known to affect people over the age of 60 years but it may also affect people who are in their 50s and rarely those younger than that. This disease has been named after a German neuropathologist and psychiatrist called Alois Alzheimer who first identified ‘presenile dementia’ in 1906 (Maurer, Volk, & Gerbaldo, 1997). Emil Kraeplin, who was one of the foremost German psychiatrists of that era, later coined the term ‘Alzheimer’s disease’ – naming it after his colleague (Maurer, Volk, & Gerbaldo, 1997). Alzheimer’s is a term that is still used to refer to the most common cause of senile dementia. It is believed that plaques and tangles develop within the structure of the brain during the course of this disease which causes the brain cells to die (Nordqvist, 2009). These abnormal changes in the brain worsen over time, eventually affecting many functions of the brain. The disease is known to advance in stages, progressing from mild forgetfulness and cognitive impairment to extensive loss of mental abilities (Nordqvist, 2009). In the advanced stages, people tend to become fully dependent on others for every area of their daily needs. The most common cause of death among those affected by this disease is infection like pneumonia and pressure ulcers ((Nordqvist, 2009). People suffering from Alzhiemer’s have also been found to lack certain vital brain chemicals that are important for the transmission of messages in the brain (Nordqvist, 2009). Alzheimer’s is a disease that not only causes social burden but also economic burden. It is estimated that in 2010, this disease accounted for more than $172 billion in healthcare, long-term care and hospice services (Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, n.d.a). Considering the fact that more than 10.9 million people provide unpaid care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s, the indirect cost in terms of lost wages and decreased productivity is astronomically high (Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, n.d.a). Definition of Alzheimer’s Alzheimer’s has been defined by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (2010) as a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks the brain’s nerve cells or neurons causing loss of memory, thinking and language skills and behavioral changes. These nerve cells typically produce acetylcholine which is a neurotransmitter. However, when affected by Alzheimer’s, these nerve cells break their connections with other nerve cells and eventually die (Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 2010). For e.g., destruction of the nerve cells in hippocampus causes short-term memory loss while destruction of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex impairs language skills and judgment (Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 2010). There are two types of abnormal lesions that are seen in the brains of people affected by Alzheimer’s (Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 2010): 1. Beta-amyloid plaques are sticky clumps of proteins that form outside and around the neurons. 2. Neurofibrillary tangles are insoluble twisted fibers of proteins that form inside the nerve cell. However, scientists are not sure if these lesions are the cause of Alzheimer’s or are a result of it. Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging (Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 2010). The disease has been identified as the most common cause of dementia and loss of intellectual function among individuals over 65 years. Thesis Statement An analysis of the risk factors, symptoms and available treatments for Alzheimer’s reveals the tremendous need to increase the efforts to develop a promising cure for this disease. Causes and Risk Factors of Alzheimer’s The exact cause of Alzheimer’s is still unknown. Scientists believe that there is no single cause of Alzheimer’s but that it is more likely caused by a combination of inter-related factors including genetic and environmental influences (Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, n.d.b). However, it is clear that this disease develops as a result of complex set of biological processes that occur over several years inside the brain (Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, n.d.b). Following are some of the risk factors for Alzheimer’s as identified by Nordqvist (2009): Age. Research has reveled that once an individual crosses the age of 65, the risk of developing Alzheimer’s doubles every five years. Following is the age-dependent risk of developing Alzheimer’s (Nordqvist, 2009): 65-74 years – 1 in 100 75-84 years – 1 in 14 Over 85 years – 1 in 4 Family history. Those individuals who have a close family member diagnosed with Alzheimer’s have a slightly higher risk of developing the disease themselves. Down’s syndrome. Studies have revealed that individuals with Down’s syndrome have an extra copy of chromosome 21 which contains a protein similar to the one that is found in individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Since individuals with Down’s syndrome have a higher amount of this protein, they are at greater risk of developing the disease. Gender. Women have been found to be at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s than men. Since women live longer than men and the risk of Alzheimer’s increases with age, this could partly explain the reason behind this. Mild cognitive impairment. Individuals with mild cognitive impairment tend to have memory problems but not Alzheimer’s. However, a greater percentage of individuals with mild cognitive impairment have been found to develop this disease when compared to other healthy people of the same age. However, some scientists disagree with this. Atrial fibrillation or irregular heart beat. A recent study of more than 37,000 patients has revealed that atrial fibrillation or irregular heart beat is a strong predictor of Alzheimer’s. Risk factors for health disease. People with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and/or poorly controlled diabetes have been found to be at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Processed foods and fertilizers. Progressive increase in the levels of nitrates, nitrites and nitrosamines found in processed foods and fertilizers have been found to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s. Some disease conditions. Diseases like chronic inflammatory conditions, clinical depression, stroke and obesity have been found to significantly increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Alzheimer’s usually progresses very slowly and therefore family members typically dismiss it as ‘a normal part of aging’. However, as memory and intellectual abilities consistently seem to affect their functioning, family members begin to realize that something more than ‘normal aging’ is going on. The first symptom of dementia is forgetfulness. It slowly progresses to loss of memory and difficulty in the areas of perception, thinking, judgment, language and emotional behavior (National Institute of Health, 2011). Dementia slowly progresses to mild cognitive impairment where individuals exhibit problems with thinking and memory which does not interfere with daily activities. The symptoms during this stage include difficulty to multitask, difficulty in solving problems, inability to remember recent events or conversations and taking longer to perform more difficult activities (National Institute of Health, 2011). Mild cognitive impairment progresses into early symptoms of Alzheimer’s, which include difficulty in doing things that take some thought like balancing a checkbook or learning new information (National Institute of Health, 2011). Individuals are also unable to recognize familiar routes. They have language problems like inability to find the name of familiar objects. They tend to loose interest in things that once were interesting, misplace things frequently and exhibit changes in personality and loss of social skills (National Institute of Health, 2011). As Alzheimer’s progresses, the symptoms become more obvious and interfere with one’s ability to take care of themselves. They exhibit changes in sleeping patterns, often waking up at night (National Institute of Health, 2011). They feel depressed or agitated and have difficulty in doing basic tasks like preparing meals or driving. They also experience difficulty in reading or writing and forget events in one’s own life history (National Institute of Health, 2011). Sometimes they have hallucinations and tend to become violent. They frequently exhibit poor judgment and/or inability to recognize danger. They typically withdraw from social contact. Symptoms of severe Alzheimer’s include inability to recognize friends and family members, inability to perform basic activities like eating, dressing and bathing, incontinence, difficulty in swallowing and difficulty in understanding language (National Institute of Health, 2011). Treatment Currently there is no cure available for Alzheimer’s disease. However, the current available treatments aim to slow the progression of the disease and manage the symptoms of sleeplessness, depression, anxiety and agitation. It also aims to change the home environment so that one can perform daily activities and generate more support from family members and care givers. Treatment of Alzheimer’s disease includes the use of medicines to slow down the progression of the disease. However, these medications also have side effects which include stomach upset, vomiting, muscle cramps and fatigue (National Institute of Health, 2011). The side effects of some medications include agitation and anxiety. Again, medicines like painkillers, depressants, sleeping pills and antihistamines may cause confusion. Therefore, use of medications to treat Alzheimer’s needs to be carefully planned. Non-medication based treatments include encouraging social interactions and performing activities like walking, singing or dancing (Crystal, n.d.). Conclusion Alzheimer’s, which primarily affects people over 60 years, is a major health concern and expense for any society. Currently there is no cure for the disease and the treatments available aim to slow the progression of the disease and manage the symptoms. As the number of people over the age of 60 and at risk of the disease continues to increase, there is tremendous need to develop a promising cure for this disease. References Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. (2010). About Alzheimer’s. Retrieved from http://www.alzfdn.org/AboutAlzheimers/definition.html Crystal, H. (n.d.). Alzheimer’s disease causes, stages and symptoms (cont.). Medicine Net. Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/ alzheimers_disease_causes_stages_and_symptoms/page8.htm Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation. (n.d.a). Who is affected by Alzheimer’s disease? Retrieved from http://www.alzinfo.org/07/about-alzheimers/who-is-affected-by-alzheimers-disease Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation. (n.d.b). What causes Alzheimer’s disease? Retrieved from http://www.alzinfo.org/07/about-alzheimers/what-causes-alzheimers-disease Maurer, K., Volk, S. & Gerbaldo, H. (1997). Auguste D and Alzheimer’s disease. Lancet, 349, 1546-1549. National Institute of Health. (2011). Alzheimer’s disease. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001767/ Nordqvist, C. (2009). What is Alzheimer’s diseases? Medical News Today. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159442.php Read More