Treatment of Alzheimer Disease - Literature review Example

Treatment of Alzheimer disease al Affiliation) Alzheimer disease is a chronic diseases that starts slowly but develops gradually. The disease occurs in the brain with a major symptom being inability to remember current events (Borm, 2011). When the disease advances, the symptoms can include mood swings, problem with language, loss of self-motivation and even it can make one not being able to take self-care and even mismanagement of behavior (Jessica, 2005). The major cause of the disease is majorly to do with the generic factors. The risk to the diseases come with injuries that are linked to the head, depression and also hypertension (Caracciolo, 2006). The symptoms of the disease are always mistaken that it comes due to ageing The condition is different to treat or reverse the condition when there is progression. Some efforts improve the symptoms. Affected people with the condition always rely on others for assistance. This is due to the pressures that can result to the induction of social and economic elements (Caracciolo, 2006). The simple ways that can be used in the treatment of the disease is doing of the activities of daily living which improves the condition. The treatment of the condition that goes with behaviors is very common in the treatment of the diseases but it is not much recommended since they have little benefits to the person and increases the risk of the person that is affected to death (Granser and Ribat, 2005). The disease is majorly diagnosed in a person due to the medical history of the person, history from relatives and the behaviors of the person that can be observed. The diagnosis of the disease has been done on the cognitive impairment and also dementia syndrome (Terry, 1994). The examination of the brain is required before an individual is diagnosed with the disease. The prevention of the disease have not being simple with no evidence that the strategies that have been implemented have reduced the disease. Studies on epidemiology have recently proposed several relationship between some modified factors to do with diet, pharmaceutical products and also the activities to do with the management of the disease (Granser and Ribat, 2005). There have been further research on the disease including clinical trials that are used to determine whether there can be treatment for the disease. The disease is caused or the people that are prone to smoking and hypertension have the high risk of getting the disease (Caracciolo, 2006). Statins which are those that are used in cholesterol lowering drugs have not done well in lowering or improving the course of the disease. The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs over a long time have reduced the risk off attaining the disease (Borm, 2011). The disease is prevented also through the use of the drugs as palliative treatment have been used but they have failed to show positive result in their treatment due to the concentration of the brain after the use of the drugs. This makes it that no prevention trial being completed. There have also been the trial of the use of hormone replacement which have just increased the risk of the disease (Terry, 1994). The lifestyle of people also determine the exposure to the diseases and also the prevention of one getting the disease. It has been found out that the people that are involved in mind games, playing instrumentals or those that are mostly involved in social interaction show reduced risk of getting the disease (Granser and Ribat, 2005). The situation agrees more with the cognitive reserve theory which states that the experience of some situations in life in more efficient neural function have reduced the risk of getting the disease. The diet of a person also is important in the management of the disease. It has been evident that those that eat healthy with the inclusion of Japanese or Mediterranean Sea food are not much prone to the contacting of the disease (Post, 2000). Mediterranean Sea food can also increase the outcomes of those that already have the disease. The disease can also be avoided when one do not have a diet which have simple carbohydrates and saturated fat (Granser and Heeg, 2005). The people whose diet have high saturation of fats and simple carbohydrates are much prone to the risk of getting the disease. The dietary means of fight against the disease have had controversies between studies based on the population and the randomized trials (Post, 2000). There has been little evidence that little use of alcohol but majorly red wine reduces the risk of one getting the disease (Katzman, 2000). Caffeine has also been protective against the disease and also the foods that are rich in flavonoids such as cocoa and tea reduce the risk of getting the disease. There have not been specific cure for the disease with the attempts only offering small symptomatic benefit but still remains soothing in nature (Granser and Heeg, 2005). The treatments that have been developed cab be grouped into pharmaceutical, caregiving and psychosocial. The cognitive problems of the disease have been treated with five medications. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and receptor antagonists have been also the medications that are used in the treatment of the disease. The benefits that have been gained from the use of the two have been small. This makes no medications being used to clearly delay or stop the progression of the disease The disease is concerned with the reduction in the activity in the cholinergic neurons. The reduction in the activity can be managed by the use of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors which are employed to reduce the rate in which acetylcholine is broken down (Katzman, 2000). The activity increases the concentration of Ach in the brain and also combat the loss of the Ach (Granser and Heeg, 2005). These method have been seemed to be efficient in the moderation of the disease when they are used in the advanced stages. In the treatment of the disease, only donepezil has been approved for the treatment of the disease in the advanced stages. The use of the drugs in the mild cognitive impairments have not shown any delay in the advancement of the disease (Mace and Rabins, 1999). The side effects that come with the use of the drugs are nausea and vomiting which both are linked to excess cholinergic. The secondary effects in the use of the drugs include muscle crumps and reduction in the heart beat. Mementine is a non-competitive receptor antagonist which is used in the treatment of the disease (Cohen, 1999). The method was first used as anti-influenza agent. It acts by blocking the receptors that inhibit the accumulation of glutamate. Mementine has been used in the treatment of moderate to moderately severe conditions of the disease (Jessica, 2005). The condition that the treatment cause to the user include hallucinations, confusion, dizziness, fatigue and headaches. Donepezil and memantine combined has been viewed to be of statistical significant in the treatment but marginally effective in the clinical view (Mace and Rabins, 1999). Antipsychotic drugs have also been used in the treatment of the disease with the main function being the reduction in aggression and psychosis (Cutler, 1995). The drug also have done well with the behavioral problems but has very many advanced effects. The effects include stroke, difficulties in movement and declines that do not permit their routine use (Cohen, 1999). When the drug is used in the long term, it can result to increased mortality. Psychosocial come ups have been used to adjust the pharmaceutical treatments and can lead to the classification of behavior and emotions. The research on the efficiency has led to the focusing on specifically the disease (Cutler, 1995). The behavioral interventions have much attempted to the identification of the problems that come up due to the disease and have tried to reduce the risks. The approach to the disease have shown less success in dealing with the disease but have reduced specific problem behavior of the disease. There has been no much prove to show the efficiency of the approach in the deal with the disease. The approach also has not dealt with all the behaviors associated to the disease. Emotional oriented interventions that include supportive psychotherapy and validation therapy have come up in the treatment of the condition (Mace and Rabins, 1999). Supportive psychotherapy have been used in clinics to help the mild impaired people adjust to their illness (Bianchetti and Trabucchi, 2011). Reminiscence which involves the use of the past of the individual has also been used in the attempts to treat the disease. The studies has shown that there has been less efficiency in the method to treat the disease and only helps in the moods of the person. Cognition-oriented measures have also been employed in the treatment of the disease (Katzman, 2000). The measures have been used in reality orientation done to the person to ease the understanding of the individual. Caregiving is the most important in the treatment of the disease since there is no specific treatment to it (Post, 2000). The early stages of the moderate stages should entrain the modification to the environment for the individual to increase his safety and also to bring less work to the caretaker (Cohen, 1999). As the disease progresses through the stages, different medical issues such as respiratory or skin infections can appear (Cutler, 1995). These can be prevented when there is proper management of the patients. People with the disease often develops difficulties in eating due to complication in swallowing. This makes the people being advised the use of feeding tubes (Katzman, 2000). The feeding using the tubes does not guarantee the person survival or increase the lives. References Alzheimer. (2005). Jessica Kingsley. Alzheimer. (2011). Borm Bruckmeier Pub Llc. Bianchetti, A., & Trabucchi, M. (2010). Alzheimer. Bologna: Il mulino. Caracciolo, F. (2006). Alzheimer a journey together. London: Jessica Kingsley. Granser, P., & Heeg, S. (2005). Alzheimer. Heidelberg: Kehrer. Cutler, N. (1995). 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