Ramifications Of Alzheimer's Disease

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The Origins and Ramifications of Alzheimer’s Disease Aliois Alzheimer (1864-1915), a German neuropathologist, first identified Alzheimer's disease as an advancing degenerative disease of the brain in 1905. In over 100 years the medical community has still not found a definitive cause for Alzheimer's disease. At this time, other than the identifiable genetic components relative to all sufferers of AD, the cause still remains maddeningly mysterious. The two forms of Alzheimer's disease, sporadic and familial, primarily affect two parts of the brain where it causes irreparable damage. Its relentless progress through seven stages averages out at a survival rate of 15 years for those who suffer from it (US National Library of Medicine…show more content…
A number of dendrites are missing and the nucleus is filled with protein filaments resembling steel wool. AD. patients have more of these in their brain than those that do not have AD. Neuritic plaques are masses of protein material made up of residue from nerve endings that have died. When discovered, these remnants of corrupted brain cells are the primary method today in identifying Alzheimer's disease. Granulovacuolar degeneration is when fluid filled vacuoles are evident in the cells of the hippocampus. The dendrites and nucleus in the cell disintegrate entirely, lost in the body’s disposal system (Talan, 2011). The brain actually loses mass and shrinks. Eventually so much of the brain has been lost that it can no longer support…show more content…
Finally, in stage 7, or the terminal stage, the victim is bedridden and cannot control their bodily functions. It is difficult to speak with any coherence. Many victims acquire pneumonia caused by breathing in food or other objects because the victim can no longer swallow safely (Talan, 2011). Death at this stage is imminent. The medical community has made progress in understanding Alzheimer's disease. There is medication that can slow the advance of the disease, in 1985 the survival length was 10 years, and today it is 15. They are able to identify the disease sooner and there has been progress in the effects of diet and exercise on Alzheimer's disease symptoms. There are new drugs and herbal supplements that have merit (Sudha, 2002). Every day there is new information about the function of brain cells in victims of AD and more money is being directed to find a cure. For news announcing research findings, visit the Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center
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