What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?
Exactly What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?
The most common form of dementia, Alzheimer’s has no cure at this time. Named for German physician, Alois Alzheimer, the disease was described first by him in 1906. This brain disorder is becoming more common rapidly.
Since Alzheimer’s destroys brain cells, it causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior that are severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. People with this disease not only lose their memory, but this is a progressive and fatal disease.
Now surpassing diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease has become the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States.
Even more chilling facts about Alzheimer’s:
- As many as 5.2 million people in the United States are already living with Alzheimer’s.
- 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s in their lifetime.
- About every 71 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s.
- Alzheimer’s and other dementias costs to Medicare, Medicaid and businesses, both directly and indirectly, amount to more than $148 billion each year.
Perhaps the most surprising fact is that people are getting diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at much earlier ages now. Over 500,000 people under 65 years of age were diagnosed just last year, and even more startling, some of those were in their 20’s and 30’s.
What Are The Causes Of Alzheimer’s Disease
Naturally our brains age as we get older, just as the rest of our body does. However, the brain of someone with Alzheimer’s shows far greater changes than usual.
To begin with, consider that the brain has 100 billion nerve cells (neurons). Every nerve cell communicates with a lot of other nerve cells to form networks. These networks each have special jobs to do. Some networks are used for learning and remembering. Other networks are used for thinking. Some networks control our muscle movement. Other networks help us hear, see and smell.
The nerve cell networks can each be compared to a tiny factory in the sense they need to take in supplies and generate energy. They need to do construction and get rid of waste. They also need to process and store information.
For some reason, in people with Alzheimer’s the nerve networks cell factories quit working correctly. After one part of the system breaks down. soon it ripples out to other parts of the system and they have problems as well. The time comes when the cells can no longer do their job and die.
The process isn’t totally understood yet by scientists, but they have two prime suspects for the cause of these problems.
- Plaques build up between nerve cells. Deposits of a protein fragment called beta-amyloid (BAY-tuh AM-uh-loyd) are found in plaques.
- Tangles are twisted fibers of another protein called tau (rhymes with “wow”). They form inside dying cells.
Although most people develop some plaques and tangles as they age, those with Alzheimer’s tend to develop far more. Beginning in areas important in learning and memory and then spreading to other regions, the tangles and plaques tend to form in a predictable pattern.Among the nerve cells, the plaques and tangles are believed to somehow block communication. They also disrupt activities that cells need to survive.
Indicator’s Of Alzheimer’s Disease
A list of warning signs has been developed by The Alzheimer’s Association. They include the following:
- Memory loss.
- Difficulty performing familiar tasks.
- Language problems.
- Place and time disorientation.
- Judgment become poor or decreased.
- Having problems with abstract thinking.
- Putting things in the wrong place.
- Mood and behavior changes.
- Changes in personality.
- There′s a loss of initiative.
For a more complete explanation of the warning signs, visit The Alzheimer’s Association’s website.
Understanding Alzheimer’s, how it works and what to signs to look for, and keeping up with the latest health news, is an important part of caring for your health. It’s never too early to learn about Alzheimer’s disease, especially when you consider younger people are now getting it!
Tags: Alzheimer, Alzheimer's Disease