Alzheimers Disease Essay -- Alzheimers Disease Essays

We are currently living in the age of technology. Our advancements in thepast few decades overshadow everything learned in the last 2000 years. With the excretion of many distempers through effective cures and treatments, Canadians tidy sum expect to live a much longer life thus that of their grandparents. In 1900about 4% of the Canadian population was over the age of 65. In 1989 that figuretripled to 12% and the government expects that figure to rise to 23% by the year2030 (Medical,1991,p.13). This sum up has brought with it a large increase indiseases associated with old age. Alzheimers dementia (AD) is superstar of the mostcommon and feared diseases afflicting the elderly community. AD, once musical theme tobe a natural part of aging, is a severely debilitating form of cordial dementia.Although some other types of dementia are curable or in effect treatable,there is currently no cure for the Alzheimer variety.A general overview of Alzheimers disease including the clinicaldes cription, diagnosis, and progression of symptoms, helps one to furtherunderstand the treatment and sell of patients, the scope of the problem, andcurrent research.The clinical definition of dementia is "a downslope in intellectualperformance that involves, but is not limited to, a loss in at least 2 of thefollowing areas language, judgement, memory, ocular or depth perception, orjudgement interfering with daily activities" (Institute,1996, p.4).The initial cause of AD symptoms is a result of the progressivedeterioration of principal cells (neurons) in the cerebral cortex of the whiz. Thisarea of the brain, which is the largest and uppermost portion, controls all ourthought processes, movement, speech, and senses. This deterioration initiallystarts in the area of the cortex that is associated with memory and thenprogresses into other areas of the cortex, then into other areas of the brainthat control bodily function. The decease of these cells causes an interruption oft he electrochemical signals between neurons that are a key to cognitive as wellas bodily functioning.Currently AD can only be confirmed at autopsy. After death the examinedbrain of an Alzheimer victim shows two distinct characteristics. The first isthe presence of neuritic plaques in the cerebral cortex and other areas of thebrain including cerebral blood vessels.... ...988).Understanding Alzheimers disease.New York Scribners.Brassard, Daniel.(1993).Alzheimers Disease.Ottawa Library of Parliament, acquisition andTechnology Division.Brown, Phyllida.(1992, November 7).Alzheimers May Not be Linked to Aluminum.NewScientistSupplement,p.6.Carlton University Department of health SciencesFreenet.(1996).Internet.httpwww.nct.carltonca/fp/social.services/alzheimer/disease.dirEvans, Denis, et al.(1989).Prevalence of Alzheimers Disease in a CommunityPopulation of erstwhile(a) Persons.Journal of the American Medical Association,272(15),1152.Institute for Brain Aging.(1996).Internet.httpwww.128.2 00.55.17/aboutad.htmlMedical Research Council of Canada.(1991).Presidents sketch 1989-1990.Myers, David.(1996).Exploring Psychology.New York Worth.Pollen, Daniel.(1990).Hannahs Heirs The Quest For the Genetic Origins ofAlzheimersDisease.LondonOxford University Press.Statement on Use of Apolipoprotein E examen for AlzheimersDisease.(1996).American College of Medical Genetics/American Society of HumanGenetics working(a) Group on ApoE and AlzheimersDisease.Internet.httpwww.faseb.org/genetics/asng/policy/pot