Showing posts with label alzheimer's disease treatment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alzheimer's disease treatment. Show all posts

Monday, June 23, 2014

Alzheimer's Disease Treatment

Alzheimer's Disease Treatment
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive and incurable illness which affects the human brain. It leads to irreversible loss of intellectual abilities such as thinking and memory skills. The name of the disease relates to the German physician Alois Alzheimer who first described it in 1906 after noticing some unusual changes in the brain of a deceased woman who died of a mental illness. The Alzheimer `s disease usually affects people over 60 years of age.



Alzheimer `s disease is also called Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type. It slowly progresses, causing the death of the brain cells. Among the first symptoms there are memory loss signs which determine difficulties in remembering simple daily tasks. As the disease progresses, patients become irritable and aggressive presenting confusion, alternative mood chances and long term memory loss, finally leading to death. Affected personas are likely to live seven years after the illness installs in the brain and only a small percentage of patients carry the disease up to fourteen years, being the maximum live expectancy.



Doctors classify the Alzheimer's disease into 7 stages. The first step is pre - dementia. At this time there are no signs of memory problems. The second is Mild Alzheimer's stage. Patients show slight difficulties of remembering usual things. Normal people can't identify any problems regarding memory troubles, as they seem normal. Alzheimer it's usually identifiable at stage three when the patient has difficulties in organizing and remembering certain facts, presenting anxiety or depression and having troubles with learning and retaining general information. The Moderate Cognitive Decline is the stage when the disease's diagnostic is confirmed. The person still recognizes close family members or friends but has fewer memories about personal life. He/she denies that there is a problem regarding his/hers mental health, becoming interiorized. Stage five comes with advanced cognitive deterioration. The patient can't manage on his own getting more and more confused. Stage six is called Severe Cognitive Decline as the memory continues to fall. The person gets aggressive, feels that he/she is lost, repeats words etc. In the final stage called Very Severe Cognitive Decline, the patient can't speak, can't move his/her life depending of the care he/she receives.



Scientists still haven't discovered yet a treatment for the Alzheimer, although there are ways of slowing it down, helping patients to keep control over the illness for a period of time. There are some medicines that doctors prescribe to extend the life of a patient. For instance cholinesterase inhibitors like Aricept, Razadyne, Exelon treat problems related to memory, language or judgement. Medication such as Axura, Akatinol or Namenda deal with improving memory, language or attention, although they have some side effects such as insomnia, headache and dizziness. For people with advanced forms of Alzheimer's disease specialists talk about treatments with stem cells which are believed to help very much due to tests made on mice that showed improvement of brain cells. Yet, this disease has no cure treatment for the moment and unfortunately it ends with death.






Alzheimer's Disease Study

Alzheimer's Disease Study
The Alzheimer's disease as been studied by many scientists who are driven by the curiosity to know more about various risk factors that make this genetic condition seem like a mystery. The main question that researchers would want an Alzheimer's disease study to answer is "why are most cases reported at later stages in a person's life?"



It is not easy to conduct research on genetic diseases. The researcher has to collect genetic information from various families. In most cases, it is good to collect these samples from families where many members have suffered from the disease. Most researchers concentrate on late onset cases (between 60 and 70 years).



Before an Alzheimer's disease study is carried, the objective of the research should be clearly described. Typically, the first goal should be to identify the gene that is responsible for triggering production of a protein in the brain that triggers a process of degeneration of brain tissue cells.



The evaluation process should involve diagnosis and other factors which might have contributed to the worsening of the condition. In most cases, there is need to compare patients who are at the same stage of the disease. Various disease-related factors should be monitored and any similarities noted should be highlighted in readiness for an in-depth study.



In some cases, some family member might have died. The measures taken in case of this eventuality will depend on the nature of the study. Some researches require that autopsy samples be extracted and tested in order for cell lines to be established accurately. For genetic-analytical reasons, most researchers argue that in those families whereby two late onset patients are alive, three more family members should also become subjects of the research as well.



The duration of a study into the Alzheimer's disease can extend to three years or even more depending on the variables that have to be studied. Today, most researches on the disease are being conducted along ethnic and racial lines with subjects being categorized into African Americans, Hispanics, Japanese Americans, Asian Americans, the Amish and the Caucasian people.



Previous researches have shown that the Caucasian people rarely suffer from this disease. This finding continues to influence the course of future studies as far as demographic and ethnic factors are concerned. It is only qualified researchers who are authorized to carry out a research such as this one. Only they can access samples that have been extracted from subjects, accurately labeled and stored at well-equipped laboratories. One such repository in the US is National Cell Repository for Alzheimer's Disease (NCRAD).






Alzheimer's Disease Cause

Alzheimer's Disease Cause
As much as there has not yet been any known cure for the disease, it is widely researched about and the research has so far led to the establishment of some of the main causes of the condition. Among the most possible courses of the condition are age in complement with the hereditary traits. If the family lineage has a determinate gene that significantly causes this type of disease, then it is almost certain that you will degenerate into an Alzheimer's disease patient with age.



A natural factor I age which plays a major role in the development of the disease. It is only natural that any body registers certain decline in functionality with age. As much as this is true about any body if not all animals, the case of Alzheimer's disease is however quite different. The rate at which a victim's memory degenerates as they age when they have the disease is quite alarming as compared to the usual memory related problems that affect all people in old age.



Another serious cause of Alzheimer's disease is the personal lifestyle of individuals. For people without genetic links to the disease, lifestyle may enhance their chances of developing the disorder. It has been verified that serious head injuries will most likely lead to the possibility of developing the disease as they continue to age. If you have been involved in an accident that resulted in serious head injuries, the chances are quite high that you may develop the Alzheimer's disease. This discovery should draw our attention to the risk that professional boxers are exposed to in the line of their daily duties.



When thinking about lifestyles that may influence the development of the disease, it is important to note that alcohol consumption and narcotics are sure products that can enhance an individual's chances of developing the disease in later years. This is because these are products that have a direct impact on the individual's thinking pattern even in the absence of old age or dementia. The final factor that has been confirmed to have an influence in the development of the disease is the heart diseases. It is clinically proven that the heart's strength and health plays a big influential role in the development of the disease. People with heart related complications have higher chances of developing the disease as compared to their strong hearted counterparts. This should give us the wake up call to try and take part in regular exercise and to maintain physical fitness as this automatically leads to good mental health