Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Disease

Introduction:

Imagine waking up and not being able to remember where you put your keys. This is a likely scenario for anyone of us. People forget things; that’s just the way life is. Now imagine waking up one morning and not knowing who is next to you. Memory loss is the first main symptom for a person suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Though this situation may seem a bit drastic, this is the degree of memory loss one can feel when plagued with Alzheimer’s.

General Information:

According to Anne Rodgers, Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible progressive brain disease that slowly deteriorates memory and cognitive thinking skills. Alzheimer’s disease can eventually destroy the ability to carry out the simplest tasks such as showering, and even dressing oneself (Rodgers Unraveling 4). “Alzheimer’s disease begins in the etorhinal cortex…it then spreads to the hippocampus, an area essential for memory. Affected areas begin to shrink” (Rodgers Unraveling 25). As NIHSeniorHealth.gov explains, The average length of time from onset of symptoms (to death) is thought to be about four to eight years (NIHSeniorHealth). The website also claims that more females have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease than males. This could be true in part that women have longer life spans than men (NIHSeniorHealth). They also, however, explain that the only definite way to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease is through a brain autopsy. With where technology is at today, this is the only way to see the plaques and tangles in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease (NIHSeniorHealth). As explained by Dr. Jeffrey Kingman, M.D., chief of neurology, Alzheimer’s disease affects your ability to think, calculate, solve problems, and do all kinds of abstract thinking (Alzheimer’s disease: New Hope). Alzheimer’s