Alzheimer's Disease History
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There are currently 4.5 millions Americans affected by Alzheimer. It has been reported that 5 percent of Americans between the ages of 65 to 74 suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. Also, half of those in the 85 years and older group are more approaching to have the disease. It is projected that these
figures will increase. The history of Alzheimer's disease started from a presentation and lesson made by a German psychiatrist in 1906 during 37th Meeting of Southwest German Psychiatrists held in Tübingen. |
Dr. Alois Alzheimer presented his findings on a woman who had died after years of having memory problems and confusion.When Dr. Alzheimer autopsied the patient's brain, he found deposits of neuritic plaques around the nerve cells. He also found a lot of bent bands of fibers or neurofibrillary tangles inside the nerve cells.
Today, medical specialists need to find the presence of the same plaques and tangles with a brain autopsy to have a conclusive diagnosis.
Dr. Alzheimer's work only
marked the start of years of medical research and studies to resolve the
mysteries of this disease. Until now, the origin is unknown remains no
cure has been found yet.
At first, the individuals between ages of 45–65, as the symptoms of
pre-dementia due to the histopathologic process is more common during this
age.
However, during the 1970s and early 1980s, the disease began to be referred
to patients of all ages that present the same symptoms.
Statistics show that around 350, 000 new cases of Alzheimer's disease are being diagnosed each year. It is estimated that by 2050, there are 4. 5 million Americans affected by the disease. Recent studies have shown that there is an increase gamble of contracting and developing Alzheimer’s as one grows older.
As a factor in the
development of the disease, genetics has a weight. Scientists have found out
that mutations on chromosomes 9 and 19 have been associated with the
different stages of the affection. However, not everyone that have the
mutations ends in having the disease. Up until now, the relationship between
genetics and late Alzheimer's stage is still a grey area.
Meanwhile, other research has associated trauma as an aspect that increases
the risk of acquiring the disease. Lack of exercise increases the risk too.
It is important to avoid high blood pressure, high cholesterol in order to
decrease the danger.
There are basically three stages of the disease:
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Stage 1 or Mild Stage, patients become less energetic and have slight memory loss. Many times, the symptoms at this stage are unnoticed or are ignored as considered as normal occurrences.
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Stage 2 or Noble stage, the patients need assistance in some complex tasks and memory losss highly noticeable.
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Stage3, the Final stage is the hardest. The patients are unable to perform simple tasks and lose the ability to walk or eat.
When an individual has the tendency to forget
even the simplest things, there is something definitely wrong. There is a
chance that there is Alzheimer's disease.
This kind of forgetfulness has nothing to do with memory losses due to
everyday life priorities.
Alzheimer's
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