Cardiovascular

What Is Alzheimer's Disease? What Causes Alzheimer's Disease?

lose their ability to recognize speech, but may utter short words or moans to communicate. *Usually the ability to walk unaided is lost first, then the ability to sit unaided, plus the ability to smile, and eventually the ability to hold the head up. *Body systems start to fail and health deteriorates. *Swallowing becomes increasingly more difficult. Chocking when eating/drinking becomes more common. *Reflexes become abnormal. *Seizures are possible. *Muscles grow rigid. *Generally bedridden. *Spends more time asleep. *Require round-the-clock care. Alzheimer"s disease and life expectancy The main reason Alzheimer"s disease shortens people"s life expectancy is not usually the disease itself, but complications that result from it. As patients become less able to look after themselves, any illnesses they develop, such as an infection, are more likely to rapidly get worse. Caregivers will find it harder and harder to identify complications because the patient becomes progressively less able to tell if he/she is unwell, uncomfortable, or in pain. Pneumonia and pressure ulcers are examples of common complications which may lead to death for people with severe Alzheimer"s disease. What are the causes or risk factors of Alzheimer"s Disease? Although a great deal of research has been done and is currently being done on the possible causes of Alzheimer"s, experts are still not sure why the brain cells deteriorate. However, there are several factors which are known to be linked to a higher risk of developing the disease. These include: *Age After the age of 65 the risk of developing Alzheimer"s doubles every five years. Although Alzheimer"s is predominantly a disease that develops during old age, some younger people may also develop the condition. According to the Canadian Medical Association Journal the risk of developing Alzheimer"s is as follows: *Ages 65-74, 1 in 100 *Ages 75-84, 1 in 14 *Age over 85, 1 in 4. *Family history People who have a close family member who developed Alzheimer"s have a slightly higher risk of developing it themselves - just a slightly higher risk, not a significantly higher risk. Only about 7% of all cases are associated with genes that cause the early onset inherited familial form of the disease. Among those who do inherit the condition, it may start at an earlier age. *Down"s syndrome People with Down"s syndrome have an extra copy of chromosome 21, which contains a protein that exists in the brain of people with Alzheimer"s. As people with Down"s syndrome have a larger amount of this protein than others, their risk of developing the disease is greater. *Whiplash and head injuries Some studies have identified a link between whiplash and head injuries and a higher risk of developing Alzheimer"s. *Aluminum (UK/Ireland/Australia: Aluminium) The link here is a theory which most scientists have discarded. Aluminum exists in the plaques and tangles in the brains of Alzheimer"s patients. Some have suggested that aluminum absorption by humans could increase the risk. However, studies have failed to find a link. Aluminum exists in some foods and plants. It is found in some cooking pans, medications and packaging. Scientists doubt there is a link because our bodies absorb minimum amounts and our bodies eliminate it through the urine. *Gender A higher percentage of women develop Alzheimer"s than men. As women live longer than men, and Alzheimer"s risk grows with age, this may partly explain the reason. *Mild cognitive impairment A person who has just mild cognitive impairment has memory problems but not Alzheimer"s. His/her memory is worse than other healthy people"s of the same age. A higher percentage of people with mild cognitive impairment develop Alzheimer"s, compared to other people. Some people say that this is not a risk factor, because those with mild cognitive impairment just had a very, very early Alzheimer"s stage which was not diagnosed. Others disagree with this. Surprisingly, a UK study showed that people with mild cognitive impairment are less at risk of developing dementia than previously thought. *Atrial firbrillation A study of more than 37,000 patients showed a strong relationship between atrial fibrillation and the development of Alzheimer"s disease. *Heart disease risk-factors People with the risk factors of heart disease - high blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol, and poorly controlled diabetes - also have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer"s. If your high-blood pressure, high cholesterol, and or poorly controlled diabetes type 2 is a result of lifestyle, it is called a lifestyle factor. Eating a well balanced diet, doing plenty of exercise, aiming for your ideal bodyweight, and sleeping between 7 to 8 hours each night will probably eliminate these factors. If you cannot eliminate your diabetes 2, good diabetes control will help. Sometimes these factors have nothing to do with lifestyle, i.e. if you have high blood pressure for another reason, have diabetes type 1, or are susceptible to high blood cholesterol despite being the right weight, exercising, etc., good control and treatment of the condition helps minimize the risk of developing Alzheimer"s (and heart disease). *Academic level There is some data showing a higher risk of developing Alzheimer"s among people with lower educational qualifications, compared to highly qualified individuals . However, nobody really knows why. *Processed foods and fertilizers (nitrates) A study carried out by researchers at Rhode Island Hospital found a significant link between increased levels of nitrates in our environment and food, with increased deaths from diseases, including Alzheimer"s, diabetes and Parkinson"s. The study looked at progressive increases in human exposure to nitrates, nitrites and nitrosamines through processed and preserved foods as well as fertilizers. *Some other diseases and conditions The following diseases and conditions have been linked to a higher risk of developing Alzheimer"s. *Some chronic inflammatory conditions *A history of episodes of clinical depression *Strokes and/or ministrokes *Obesity How is Alzheimer"s diagnosed? A doctor can diagnose most cases of Alzheimer"s. However, nobody can be 100% sure until after death, when a microscopic examination of the brain detects plaques and tangles. There is no basic testing, such as a blood test, urine test, biopsy, or image scan for diagnosing Alzheimer"s disease. A brain scan may help identify changes in the brain. Ruling out other conditions Doctors will usually carry out some tests to rule out other conditions which typically have symptoms that are also present in Alzheimer"s. Below are some examples of diseases and conditions that need to be ruled out: *Anxiety *Brain tumor *Depression *Infection *Thyroid problems *Vitamin deficiency The following tests may be ordered: *Blood tests - to see if the patient has a thyroid disorder or vitamin deficiency. *Neuropsychological testing - this involves an extensive assessment of cognitive (thinking) and memory skills. It can take several hours. These types of tests are extremely useful in detecting Alzheimer"s as well as other dementias early on. *MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan - A powerful magnetic field is created by passing an electric current through the wire loops. Meanwhile, other coils in the magnet send and receive radio waves. This triggers protons in the body to align themselves. Once aligned, radio waves are absorbed by the protons, which stimulate spinning. Energy is released after "exciting" the molecules, which in turn emits energy signals that are picked up by the coil. This information is then sent to a computer which processes all the signals and generates it into an image. The final product is a 3-D image representation of the area being examined; which in this case would be the brain. *PET (positron emission tomography) scan - uses radiation, or nuclear medicine imaging, to produce 3-dimensional, color images of the functional processes within the human body. It is very useful in helping the doctor diagnose Alzheimer"s disease. A PET scan that measures uptake of sugar in the brain significantly improves the accuracy of diagnosing a type of dementia often mistaken for Alzheimer"s disease, a study revealed. *CT (computerized tomography) scan - this device uses digital geometry processing to generate a 3-dimensional (3-D) image of the inside of an object. The 3-D image is made after many 2-dimensional X-ray images are taken around a single axis of rotation - in other words, many pictures of the same area are taken from many angles and then placed together to produce a 3-D image. *What is difference between a PET, CT or MRI scan? A CT or MRI scan can assess the size and shape of body organs and tissue. However, they cannot assess function. A PET scan looks at function. In other words, MRI or CT scans tell you what it looks like, while a PET scan can tell you how it is working. What is the treatment for Alzheimer"s disease? Alzheimer"s is a terminal disease. This means it has no cure and will end in death. However, there are various medications which can help slow down the progression of the disease, and others that can improve the signs and symptoms, such as sleeplessness, wandering, depression, anxiety and agitation. The doctor may prescribe the following medications to help slow down the disease: Neurotransmitters - A neurotransmitter is a chemical that transmits neurologic information from one cell to another. Without neurotransmitters our nervous system, which includes the brain, would not work. We would be paralyzed, blind, with no thoughts, no movement - we would be dead. *Cholinesterase inhibitors These improve the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain. The medication contains a chemical that inhibits the cholinesterase enzyme from breaking down the neurotransmitter acetylcholine

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