Alzheimers Disease Essay -- Alzheimers Disease Essays

Alzheimers DiseaseImagine waking up one morning and you corporationnot remember where you are or your own childs name. This could be a direct sign that you or a family member has Alzheimers disease. Alzheimers disease is a progress to of dementia, which means that it affects authentic functions of the brain such as memory, logic, and e reallyday sensible functions. This disease was first described by a doctor named Alois Alzheimer in 1906. He discovered unusual growths of fibers in the brains of woman that had died from an unusual mental illness (National Institute, 1995). Many people do not realize how severe this disease truly is. These people also do not realize how much of a risk there is of developing the disease. Four million people in the united States today are afflicted with Alzheimers disease. It is estimated that about 22 million people around the world currently have this disease (St.George-Hyslop, 2000). Another very interesting fact about Alzheimers is that the ch anges in the brain take place 20 to 40 years before the pa haulnt shows any symptoms. virtually ten percent of Ameri bottom of the innings have this disease by the age of 65, and about 50 percent of Americans have the disease by the age of 85. People can live well into their 90s, and they still retain most of their memories and obligate of their bodies (Kahn, 1998). This disease is a disease that everyone in the United States should be concerned about. Scientists believe that they have what causes this disease to occur. It is caused by proteins in the brain that go terribly wrong. These proteins form clusters inside the brain, and they produce a toxin that affects nerve cells. These nerve cells are then lost, and this affects certain parts of the brain that control certain functions. This directly affects two parts of the brain, the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex. These two parts of the brain control memory, reasoning, language, and other bodily functions (St. George-Hyslop, 2000). Alzheimers disease has a major effect on not only the patients life, but on the lives of the patients family as well.This disease takes a very slow path in its development. It may start as just some short-term memory loss. This means that a person with Alzheimers may forget little things, like what he or she ate for dinner last night or why they went to the refrigerator. These symptoms can be overlooked as j... ...In Kahns story (1998) a daughter of a patient was very pleased with Aricept, the reversal of her condition was remarkable. For over a year, I kind of got my mom back (p,18). This disease is obviously a horrible one. It can rip a family apart, and there is nothing that can be done about it. Hopefully, one day a cure will be found, but in the mean time, Alzheimers disease has total control over a person who is afflicted with it. It also has control over the family of the person afflicted with it. Almost everyone in this country has some sort of tie to this disease, and this is why more research should be done in hopes of finding a cure.ReferencesKahn, C. (2007, November, 8). New drugs and hope for Alzheimers patients. Parade Magazine, 16-19.National Institute on Aging. (1995). Alzheimers Disease Fact Sheet.Retrieved October 22, 2008, from the World Wide Web http//www.alzheimers.org/pubs/adfact.html Shenk, D. (2001, November-December). The War on Alzheimers. My Generation, 15-20.St. George-Hyslop, P.H. (2005). Piecing Together Alzheimers.Retrieved October 22, 2008, from the World Wide Web http//www.sciam.com/2000/1200issue/1200stgeorge.html