Genetically inherited .com



Tayyaba KareemWhy the name Alzheimer's disease?Aloysius Alzheimer was a German neuro-pathologist and psychiatrist. He is credited with identifying the first published case of "presenile dementia" in 1906, which Kraepelin later identified as Alzheimer's disease - naming it after his colleague. In 1901, while he worked at the city mental asylum in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Dr. Alzheimer had a 51 year old patient called Mrs. Auguste Deter. The patient had distinct behavioral symptoms which did not fit any existing diagnoses - she had rapidly failing memory, disorientation, and confusion, had trouble expressing her thoughts, and was suspicious about her family members and the hospital staff. Her symptoms progressed relentlessly. Dr. Alzheimer wrote that she once said to him "I have lost myself."What is Alzheimer 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 of daily living. In most people with Alzheimer’s, symptoms first appear after age 60. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of?dementia among older people. Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning—thinking, remembering, and reasoning—and behavioral abilities to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities.How it damage the brain?Although we still don’t know how the Alzheimer’s disease process begins, it seems likely that damage to the brain starts a decade or more before problems become evident. During the preclinical stage of Alzheimer’s disease, people are free of symptoms, but toxic changes are taking place in the brain. Abnormal deposits of proteins form amyloid plaques and tau tangles throughout the brain, and once-healthy neurons begin to work less efficiently. Over time, neurons lose the ability to function and communicate with each other, and eventually they die.Before long, the damage spreads to a nearby structure in the brain called the hippocampus, which is essential in forming memories. As more neurons die, affected brain regions begin to shrink. By the final stage of Alzheimer’s, damage is widespread, and brain tissue has shrunk significantly.Genetically inheritedThe vast majority of cases of Alzheimer's disease are sporadic, meaning that they are not genetically inherited although some genes may act as risk factors. On the other hand, around 0.1% of the cases are familial forms of?autosomal?dominant?(not?sex-linked) inheritance, which usually have an onset before age 65.?This form of the disease is known as?early onset familial Alzheimer's diseaseStages of Alzheimer diseaseAlzheimer’s is a slow disease that progresses in three stages—an early, preclinical stage with no symptoms, a middle stage of?mild cognitive impairment, and a final stage of Alzheimer’s dementia. The time from diagnosis to death varies—as little as 3 or 4 years if the person is older than 80 when diagnosed to as long as 10 or more years if the person is younger.Other conditions that may cause memory loss or dementia include:medication side effectschronic alcoholismtumors or infections in the brainblood clots in the brainvitamin B12 deficiencysome thyroid, kidney, or liver disordersMany of these conditions are temporary and reversible, but they can be serious and should be treated by a doctor as soon as possible.People who lead active lifestyles are more likely to slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease, while active people who are Alzheimer's free have a lower risk of developing the disease or any kind of dementia, researchers from the University of California reported at the annual meeting of RSNA (the Radiological Society of North America) in November 2012.Lifestyle factors that help ward off or slow down Alzheimer's include yard work, gardening, dancing, riding an exercise bike, and any type of aerobic exercise.Goals of treatment:There is no cure of this disease . The goals of treatment are:Slow the progression of the disease (although this is difficult to do)Manage symptoms, such as behavior problems, confusion, and sleep problemsChange your home environment so you can better perform daily activitiesSupport family members and other caregiversDRUG TREATMENTMedicines are used to help slow down the rate at which symptoms become worse. The benefit from these drugs is usually small. You and your family may not notice much of a change.Before using these medicines, ask the doctor or nurse:What are the potential side effects? Is the medicine worth the risk?When is the best time, if any, to use these medicines?Medicines for this include:Donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon), and galantamine (Razadyne, formerly called Reminyl). Side effects include stomach upset, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle cramps, and fatigue.Memantine (Namenda). Possible side effects include agitation or anxiety. ................
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