Alzheimer's

Ashley Lechlitner: treatments (Facilitator) Casey Moyer: causes, age group? (Critical Friend) Jen McIntyre: prognosis/ living with alzheimers-family point of view (Floater) Jesse Esbenshade: signs and symptoms (Editor) //(http://nanobiotechnews.com/a-vaccine-to-prevent-alzheimers.html) (http://uccollege.edu.in/home-news/enhancing-menopausal-adjustment-among-rural-women-using-effective-training-interventions/)// = __//What is Alzheimer's Disease?//__ =

Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. In most people with Alzheimer’s, symptoms first appear after age 60.

__Interesting Facts:__
Estimates vary, but experts suggest that as many as 5.1 million Americans may have Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia among older people.

Alzheimer’s disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. Her symptoms included memory loss, language problems, and unpredictable behavior. After she died, he examined her brain and found many abnormal clumps (now called amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of fibers (now called neurofibrillary tangles). Plaques and tangles in the brain are two of the main features of Alzheimer’s disease. The third is the loss of connections between nerve cells (neurons) in the brain.

USA.gov,. U.S. National Institute of Health, National Insitite on Aging. (2008). //Alzheimer's disease fact sheet// (NIH Publication No. 08-6423). Alzheimer’s Disease Education & Referral (ADEAR) Center. Retrieved from []

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__Causes__
Researchers still haven’t found the specific cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Some current research has shown that Alzheimer’s is triggered by a number of different factors including; genetic makeup, serious head injuries, brain inflammation, age, and environmental factors. There are two forms of Alzheimer’s disease, sporadic and familial. FAD, or familial Alzheimer’s disease follows an inheritance pattern, affecting patients between the ages of 30 to 60 years old. But less than ten percent of Alzheimer’s patients have FAD. Researchers have also found that the mutations of chromosomes 1, 14, and 21 have been linked to early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

About Alzheimer’s: Research. (2011). //Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.// Retrieved from [|http://www.alzfdn.org/AboutAlzheimers/research.] [|html]

__**Signs/Symptoms**__

 * Memory Loss
 * Difficulty planning or resolving problems
 * Difficulty doing familiar things
 * Losing track of time, dates, seasons, etc
 * Vision Problems (judging distance, recognizing themselves in a mirror, determining color)
 * Problems holding a conversation to remember what they were just talking about
 * Misplacing things and not being able to remember where the item was placed
 * Poor Judgment making
 * Withdrawal from social activities
 * Mood and Personality Changes

All of these symptoms may be something a person does once in a while, but people with Alzheimer's have problems with them frequently. The symptoms unfortunately gradually get worse over time.

10 Signs of Alzheimer's. (2011, March 29). //Alzheimer's Association//. Retrieved from []

__Treatments__
Currently there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, but there are measures that can be taken for the disease. This disease is very complex and is still perplexing those studying it. Alzheimer's therapy is a possibility for those struggling with Alzheimer's. It involves multiple treatments that address the multiple problems occurring in that specific patient. Also, there are multiple medications recommended for those dealing with Alzheimer's. These medications can help slow down the symptoms for months and even years, but they will not cure the patient unfortunately. Four medications are currently FDA approved specifically for Alzheimer patients. There are three types of cholinesterase inhibitor medications. They include donepezil (aricept), rivastigmine (exelon), and galatamine (razadyne). Donepezil is used to treat patients with mild, moderate, or severe Alzheimer's. The other two medications are used to treat mild and moderate symptoms. Exelon is now available in a skin patch which makes it more patient friendly. All of these medications have side affects, like all medications do. These include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, and dizziness. The final medication used to treat Alzheimer's is memantine (namenda). This medication works by regulating the amount of glutamate, a chemical messenger of the brain. This medicine is used to treat those with moderate to severe symptoms. Some side affects of this medication include dizziness, confusion, headache, constipation, nausea, and agitation. Since this medicine works differently than the cholinesterase inhibitors it can be used with one of them.

Alzheimer's Disease Guide. (2009, October 2). //WebMD.// Retrieved from []

__Complications__
A person with Alzheimer's can have the following complications... - falls due to poor coordination

-"sundowning" (withdrawal or agitation in the evening) -malnutrition and dehydration -infection

-harmful behavior towards self and/or others -suicide -coronary disease -physical and emotional abuse -poor health and support due to caregiver burnout

Alzheimer's disease: prognosis and complications. (2009, April 12). Retrieved from []

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__Prognosis__
The most common question doctor's get asked once the family knows it's Alzheimer's disease- //"How long have we got?"// There is still no way to give an exact answer, but new data is revealing a much sharper picture as to how long a person will survive and how fast the disease will progress. After the onset of symptoms as listed above the average life expectancy for someone with Alzheimer's is 8 to 10 years. Although in some cases people with Alzheimer's even after first signs develop they have been known to live up to 20 years.

Hill, C. (2009, March 04). Prognosis for people with Alzheimer's disease. Retrieved from http://alzheimers.about.com/od/whatisalzheimer1/qt/prognosis.htm

Eric B. Larson, MD. MPH conducted a study involving 521 Seattle residents aged 60 and older who were recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Larson's team was also able to find out different factors that contributed to the survival of Alzheimer's-disease:

~Women with Alzheimer's disease live longer than men with Alzheimer's disease.

~Unsteadiness in walking predicts shorter survival. ~Wandering behavior predicts shorter survival. ~Involuntary loss of urine predicts shorter survival. ~A poor score on tests of mental status predicts shorter survival. ~A rapid mental decline in the first year after diagnosis predicts shorter survival. ~Pre-existing heart disease or diabetes predicts shorter survival.

Researches were able to calculate the average number of years remaining for those after they were first diagnosed; they found this by at least 50% of the people who remained alive for a certain amount of years

For women: For men:
 * After age 70, half of U.S. women live 15.7 more years. Half of women with Alzheimer's disease live 8.0 more years.
 * After age 75, half of U.S. women live 11.9 more years. Half of women with Alzheimer's disease live 5.8 more years.
 * After age 80, half of U.S. women live 8.6 more years. Half of women with Alzheimer's disease live 5.3 more years.
 * After age 85, half of U.S. women live 5.9 more years. Half of women with Alzheimer's disease live 3.9 more years.
 * After age 90, half of U.S. women live 3.9 more years. Half of women with Alzheimer's disease live 2.1 more years.
 * After age 70, half of U.S. men live 12.4 more years. Half of men with Alzheimer's disease live 4.4 more years.
 * After age 75, half of U.S. men live 9.3 more years. Half of men with Alzheimer's disease live 4.5 more years.
 * After age 80, half of U.S. men live 6.7 more years. Half of men with Alzheimer's disease live 3.6 more years.
 * After age 85, half of U.S. men live 4.7 more years. Half of men with Alzheimer's disease live 3.3 more years.
 * After age 90, half of U.S. men live 3.2 more years. Half of men with Alzheimer's disease live 2.7 more years.

Alzheimer's Disease: Predicting Survival. (2004). //WebMD// Retrieved from []

Depends upon...

~ The overall health of the individual ~ Individuals who have other underlying health issues besides Alzheimer's tend to die sooner than those who are other wise healthy; often due to medical complication such as pneumonia or the flu ~ Age Alzheimer's is a fatal disease, if there are no other complications the individual will die when all other systems fail due to the disease

Alzheimer's disease: prognosis and complications. (2008, December 11). Retrieved from []

//Planning for the Future: Quotes from actual people dealing with someone who has Alzheimer's// "When I started to see my father declining, it took a long time for my family to get comfortable with that," he says. "The nice thing with this study is that everyone in it was within a year of diagnosis. This was like the real world. Now the family can say, 'This is what is ahead. Let's face it like anything else in life.'" "A fairly large number of people with Alzheimer's disease are going to live a long time," Larson says. "For example, one in four women diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease will live for 10 more years. That is a lot of years of care to plan for."

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10 Signs of Alzheimer's. (2011, March 29). //Alzheimer's Association//. Retrieved from []
 * __References:__**

About Alzheimer’s: Research. (2011). //Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.// Retrieved from [|http://www.alzfdn.org/AboutAlzheimers/research.] [|html]

Alzheimer's Disease Guide. (2009, October 2). //WebMD.// Retrieved from []

Alzheimer's Disease: Predicting Survival. (2004). //WebMD// Retrieved from []

Alzheimer's disease: prognosis and complications. (2008, December 11). Retrieved from [|http://www.healthyplace.com/alzheimers/main/alzheimers-disease-prognosis-and-complications/menu-id-56/]

Alzheimer's disease: prognosis and complications//.// (2009, April 12). Retrieved from []

Hill, C. (2009, March 04). //Prognosis for people with Alzheimer's disease//. Retrieved from http://alzheimers.about.com/od/whatisalzheimer1/qt/prognosis.htm

USA.gov,. U.S. National Institute of Health, National Insitite on Aging. (2008). //Alzheimer's disease fact sheet// (NIH Publication No. 08-6423). Alzheimer’s Disease Education & Referral (ADEAR) Center. Retrieved from []