Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was first discovered in 1907 by Alois Alzheimer, a German psychiatrist and neuropathologist. He noticed that the brain tissue of a recently deceased woman was exhibiting strange abnormalities. Upon further examination he discovered abnormal clumps and tangled fibers; which are now known as amyloid plaques and tau tangles. Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible and progressive brain disorder characterized by memory loss and loss of cognitive abilities. While Alzheimer’s disease was not considered to be a major disease until the 1970’s, it is now known to affect as many as 44 million people worldwide.
When the brain is functioning healthily its gyri and sulci are tightly packed against each other and the brain is an …show more content…
The endocrine system is not really affected by this disease. Most unaffected is the integumentary system, the only way in which this body system is affected is that once in an advance stage of Alzheimer’s the person can no longer care for their body and their skin or hair my suffer from this. The musculoskeletal system suffers much more than the integumentary system from the debilitating effects of Alzheimer’s. As the disease progresses the person’s muscles can no longer move fluidly; they become more rigid causing posture to become poor, and even hindering the ability to walk. The digestive system is not directly affected by the disease, however problems with swallowing can cause decrease in appetite. The cardiopulmonary system when under the influence of Alzheimer’s causes the person to become more susceptible to pneumonia, hypertension, arthrosclerosis, and strokes. One theory as to why this happens is that when a person is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease their brain does not receive enough blood flow to the brain. The urogenital system of the body suffers in a way that make living daily life difficult; as the disease progressive the person will lose control of their bowels completely. Finally, and most severely affected, is the nervous system. Since Alzheimer’s targets the brain for the most part the stress put on this system immense. The hippocampus is the first to lose its function …show more content…
It is essentially a terminal prognosis in which all you can try to do is maintain the mental capacities and provide a good quality of life. There are currently only five FDA approved drugs to treat Alzheimer’s. Drugs such as Donepezil and Razadyne that are used in helping the person to maintain their mental function by regulating the neurotransmitters that are not functioning. In the last few years research and development into Alzheimer’s disease has made incredible strides. In 2013 the International Genomics of Alzheimer’s Project (IGAP) researchers identified new genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. The group’s collaboration revealed 20 genetic variations associated with increased risk, 11 of which had not been linked with Alzheimer’s before. Some of the newly identified genetic variations are thought to be specific to the immune system, adding to mounting evidence of a role for the immune system in Alzheimer’s disease. A new possible way of detecting Alzheimer’s disease is through eye exams. The amyloid protein that harms the brain also accumulates in the eyes and in late stages of the disease causes Alzheimer’s cataracts. By using laser eye scanning technology and a special dye that binds to the amyloid protein tit can may be detected earlier on in much younger
When the brain is functioning healthily its gyri and sulci are tightly packed against each other and the brain is an …show more content…
The endocrine system is not really affected by this disease. Most unaffected is the integumentary system, the only way in which this body system is affected is that once in an advance stage of Alzheimer’s the person can no longer care for their body and their skin or hair my suffer from this. The musculoskeletal system suffers much more than the integumentary system from the debilitating effects of Alzheimer’s. As the disease progresses the person’s muscles can no longer move fluidly; they become more rigid causing posture to become poor, and even hindering the ability to walk. The digestive system is not directly affected by the disease, however problems with swallowing can cause decrease in appetite. The cardiopulmonary system when under the influence of Alzheimer’s causes the person to become more susceptible to pneumonia, hypertension, arthrosclerosis, and strokes. One theory as to why this happens is that when a person is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease their brain does not receive enough blood flow to the brain. The urogenital system of the body suffers in a way that make living daily life difficult; as the disease progressive the person will lose control of their bowels completely. Finally, and most severely affected, is the nervous system. Since Alzheimer’s targets the brain for the most part the stress put on this system immense. The hippocampus is the first to lose its function …show more content…
It is essentially a terminal prognosis in which all you can try to do is maintain the mental capacities and provide a good quality of life. There are currently only five FDA approved drugs to treat Alzheimer’s. Drugs such as Donepezil and Razadyne that are used in helping the person to maintain their mental function by regulating the neurotransmitters that are not functioning. In the last few years research and development into Alzheimer’s disease has made incredible strides. In 2013 the International Genomics of Alzheimer’s Project (IGAP) researchers identified new genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. The group’s collaboration revealed 20 genetic variations associated with increased risk, 11 of which had not been linked with Alzheimer’s before. Some of the newly identified genetic variations are thought to be specific to the immune system, adding to mounting evidence of a role for the immune system in Alzheimer’s disease. A new possible way of detecting Alzheimer’s disease is through eye exams. The amyloid protein that harms the brain also accumulates in the eyes and in late stages of the disease causes Alzheimer’s cataracts. By using laser eye scanning technology and a special dye that binds to the amyloid protein tit can may be detected earlier on in much younger