Alzheimer Disease - One Of The Most Mysterious Diseases To Date
Millions of people around the world suffer from Alzheimer disease. This disease is a progressive neurologic condition that leads to a shrinking of the brain (also known as atrophy) as well as the death of brain cells. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, which is defined as a progressive deterioration in mental, behavioral, and social abilities that impairs a person's capacity to carry out daily tasks without assistance.
Author:Suleman ShahReviewer:Han JuJul 26, 202316.8K Shares248.5K Views
Millions of people around the world suffer from Alzheimer disease. This disease is a progressive neurologic condition that leads to a shrinking of the brain (also known as atrophy) as well as the death of brain cells.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, which is defined as a progressive deterioration in mental, behavioral, and social abilities that impairs a person's capacity to carry out daily tasks without assistance.
Alzheimer's Disease Facts
Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder that gradually deteriorates a person's memory, thinking skills, and, ultimately, their capacity to carry out even the most basic of tasks. Later in life, the majority of Alzheimer's patients experience the onset of their disease's symptoms.
Estimates can vary, but most experts agree that Alzheimer's disease may be the cause of dementia in more than 6 million Americans, the majority of whom are at least 65 years old. Alzheimer's disease is currently the leading cause of dementia among older adults in the United States, and it is currently ranked as the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
A person is said to have dementia when they experience a decline in their cognitive functioning, which includes thinking, remembering, and reasoning, as well as their behavioral abilities to the point where it disrupts their day-to-day life and activities.
There are different stages of dementia, ranging from the mildest stage, in which the disease is just beginning to affect a person's functioning, to the most severe stage, in which the person must completely rely on the assistance of othersfor even the most fundamental aspects of day-to-day life.
Dr. Alois Alzheimer is honored with the naming of Alzheimer's disease. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer observed alterations in the brain tissue of a woman who had died from an unusual mental illness.
The woman had been an Alzheimer's patient before she passed away. Her symptoms included memory loss, language problems, and unpredictable behavior. After she had passed away, he conducted an autopsy on her brain and discovered a large number of abnormal clumps (now known as amyloid plaques) as well as tangled bundles of fibers (now called neurofibrillary, or tau, tangles).
Plaques and tangles in the brain are still considered to be two of the most distinguishing characteristics of Alzheimer's disease. Another feature is the loss of connections between neurons in the brain. Neurons transmit messages between different parts of the brain, and from the brain to muscles and organs in the body.
Researchers are making steady progress in their understanding of the intricate brain changes brought on by Alzheimer's disease. Alterations in brain function can start happening ten years or more before symptoms appear.
At this very early stage of Alzheimer's disease, the brain is undergoing toxic changes, including abnormal buildups of proteins that form amyloid plaques and tau tangles. These changes include abnormal buildups of proteins. Neurons that were previously healthy fail to function, lose their connections with other neurons, and eventually die.
It is believed that Alzheimer's disease is caused by a wide variety of other intricate changes in the brain. The damage seems to manifest itself first in the entorhinal cortex and the hippocampal formation, both of which are critical for the process of memory formation.
As a greater number of neurons pass away, an increasing number of regions of the brain become impaired and start to atrophy. In the later stages of Alzheimer's disease, damage has become widespread, and a significant amount of brain tissue has been lost.
Alzheimer's Disease Symptoms
Memory issues are frequently one of the earliest signs of cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease. A condition known as mild cognitive impairment can be present in some individuals who struggle with their memories (MCI).
People who have MCI struggle with their memories more than is typical for their age, but the symptoms of their condition do not get in the way of their day-to-day lives. MCI has also been linked to problems with the sense of movement and smell, as well as difficulty moving.
The risk of Alzheimer's disease developing in older people with MCI is higher, but this does not mean that all of these people will eventually develop Alzheimer's. Some people may even return to their previous level of cognitive ability.
The first signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease can vary greatly from patient to patient. A decline in aspects of cognition other than memory, such as difficulty finding words, problems with vision or spatial relationships, and impaired reasoning or judgment, may be an early warning sign for many people with Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers are looking into biomarkers, which are biological signs of disease that can be found in images of the brain, cerebrospinal fluid, and blood, in order to detect early changes in the brains of people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) as well as cognitively normal people who may be at a greater risk for Alzheimer's disease.
Before these methods can be used on a large scale and in a routine manner to diagnose Alzheimer's disease in the office of a healthcare provider, more research needs to be conducted.
Mild Alzheimer’s Disease
Memory loss and other cognitive difficulties become increasingly severe in people whose Alzheimer's disease progresses. The individual may become disoriented and wander, causing them to become lost.
They may have trouble managing money and paying bills; they may ask the same questions repeatedly; it may take them longer to complete normal daily tasks; and they may exhibit personality and behavior changes. People are often diagnosed in this stage.
Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease
At this stage, the parts of the brain that are responsible for language, reasoning, conscious thought, and the processing of sensory information, such as the capacity to correctly detect sounds and smells, become damaged.
Memory loss and confusion worsen, and people begin to have trouble recognizing family and friends in their circle of relationships. It's possible that they won't be able to learn new things, complete tasks that require multiple steps (like getting dressed), or deal with novel circumstances.
In addition, individuals who have reached this stage might experience hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia, and they might act in an erratic manner.
Severe Alzheimer’s Disease
Plaques and tangles eventually spread throughout the entire brain, and significant tissue loss occurs in the brain as a result. Patients with Alzheimer's disease who have reached a severe stage are unable to communicate and are wholly reliant on others for their care.
As the body prepares for death, the individual may spend the majority of their time, or even all of their time, in bed.
Alzheimer's Disease Cause
In recent years, researchers have made a substantial amount of headway toward better comprehending Alzheimer's disease, and this forward momentum is only gaining steam. Still, researchers do not have a complete understanding of what triggers Alzheimer's disease in the majority of patients.
See video below.
How Alzheimer's Changes the Brain
A genetic mutation might be the root cause of Alzheimer's disease in people who developed the condition at an earlier age. Alzheimer's disease with a late onset is caused by a complicated chain of brain changes that can take place over a period of decades.
It is likely that a number of factors, including genetics, environment, and lifestyle, contributed to the condition. It is possible that the relative weight that each of these factors carries in either elevating or lowering an individual's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease varies from person to person.
Plaques, tangles, and other biological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease are the subjects of research efforts currently being carried out by scientists. The development and spread of abnormal amyloid and tau proteins in the living brain, as well as changes in brain structure and function, are all things that can now be seen by researchers thanks to advancements in brain imaging techniques.
Changes in the brain and body fluids that can be detected years before Alzheimer's symptoms appear are currently the focus of a study that scientists are conducting in order to investigate the very first stages of the disease's progression. The results of these studies will contribute to a better understanding of the factors that contribute to Alzheimer's disease and will make diagnosis simpler.
Why Alzheimer's disease primarily affects people in their later years is one of the disease's biggest unanswered questions. This question is being investigated by research into the aging of the brain in a normal state.
For instance, scientists are gaining a better understanding of how age-related changes in the brain can cause damage to neurons as well as other types of brain cells, which can then contribute to the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
These age-related changes include atrophy (shrinking) of certain parts of the brain, inflammation, blood vessel damage, production of unstable molecules called free radicals, and mitochondrial dysfunction (a breakdown of energy production within a cell).
Alzheimer's Disease Treatment
Disease-modifying drugs or therapies are medications that target the underlying causes of a disease. Aducanumab is the only Alzheimer's disease-modifying medication currently approved for use.
This medication is a human antibody, or immunotherapy, that targets the protein beta-amyloid and aids in the reduction of amyloid plaques, which are brain lesions linked to Alzheimer's disease. Only people with early-stage Alzheimer's or mild cognitive impairment were studied in clinical trials to determine the efficacy of aducanumab.
Researchers are still investigating whether this medication affects a person's rate of cognitive decline over time. Before prescribing aducanumab, doctors may request PET scans or cerebrospinal fluid analysis to determine whether amyloid deposits exist in the brain.
This can assist doctors in making an accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease before prescribing medication. Once on aducanumab, a person's doctor or specialist may order routine MRIs to check for side effects such as brain swelling or bleeding.
Several other disease-modifying medications are being tested as potential treatments in people with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer's.
People Also Ask
What Are The Causes Of Alzheimer's?
The causes are most likely a combination of age-related brain changes, as well as genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. The importance of any of these factors in increasing or decreasing the risk of Alzheimer's disease varies by individual.
Is Alzheimer A Serious Disease?
Alzheimer's disease is currently the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, but recent estimates suggest that it may rank third, just behind heart disease and cancer, as a cause of death for the elderly.
Can Alzheimer Cause Death?
Alzheimer's disease is a fatal type of dementia. It was the sixth leading cause of death in the United States in 2014, accounting for nearly 4% of all deaths. 2,3 The number of Alzheimer's deaths has increased, owing in part to an aging population.
Final Words
Memory loss and other symptoms of dementia can be caused by a variety of conditions, some of which can be treated. Talk to your primary care physician if you are concerned about your memory or any of your other thinking skills so that they can perform an in-depth evaluation and diagnosis.
If you are concerned about the thinking skills of a member of your family or a close friend, have a conversation with them about your worries and suggest that the two of you go to a doctor's appointment together.
Suleman Shah
Author
Suleman Shah is a researcher and freelance writer. As a researcher, he has worked with MNS University of Agriculture, Multan (Pakistan) and Texas A & M University (USA). He regularly writes science articles and blogs for science news website immersse.com and open access publishers OA Publishing London and Scientific Times. He loves to keep himself updated on scientific developments and convert these developments into everyday language to update the readers about the developments in the scientific era. His primary research focus is Plant sciences, and he contributed to this field by publishing his research in scientific journals and presenting his work at many Conferences.
Shah graduated from the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (Pakistan) and started his professional carrier with Jaffer Agro Services and later with the Agriculture Department of the Government of Pakistan. His research interest compelled and attracted him to proceed with his carrier in Plant sciences research. So, he started his Ph.D. in Soil Science at MNS University of Agriculture Multan (Pakistan). Later, he started working as a visiting scholar with Texas A&M University (USA).
Shah’s experience with big Open Excess publishers like Springers, Frontiers, MDPI, etc., testified to his belief in Open Access as a barrier-removing mechanism between researchers and the readers of their research. Shah believes that Open Access is revolutionizing the publication process and benefitting research in all fields.
Han Ju
Reviewer
Hello! I'm Han Ju, the heart behind World Wide Journals. My life is a unique tapestry woven from the threads of news, spirituality, and science, enriched by melodies from my guitar. Raised amidst tales of the ancient and the arcane, I developed a keen eye for the stories that truly matter. Through my work, I seek to bridge the seen with the unseen, marrying the rigor of science with the depth of spirituality.
Each article at World Wide Journals is a piece of this ongoing quest, blending analysis with personal reflection. Whether exploring quantum frontiers or strumming chords under the stars, my aim is to inspire and provoke thought, inviting you into a world where every discovery is a note in the grand symphony of existence.
Welcome aboard this journey of insight and exploration, where curiosity leads and music guides.
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