Symptoms And Treatment Of Alzheimer 's Disease Essay

There are many causes of dementia and according to Janssen Pharmaceutica N.V., “There are some causes of dementia that are treatable which are head injuries, brain tumors, infections (such as meningitis, HIV/AIDS, or syphilis), simple and normal pressure hydrocephalus (i.e. when the fluid in which the brain floats is collecting outside or in the cavities of the brain, compressing it from outside), hormone disorders (i.e. that is, disorders of hormone-secreting and hormone-regulating organs such as the thyroid gland), metabolic disorders (i.e. such as diseases of the liver, pancreas, or kidneys that disrupt the balances of chemicals in the blood), hypoxia (i.e. poor oxygenation of the blood), nutrition (i.e. vitamin deficiencies), drug abuse or alcoholism. Unfortunately, most disorders associated with dementia are progressive, degenerative and irreversible” (2013). The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease which progressive, irreversible and degenerative. Alzheimer’s disease is caused by a slow break down of the brain cells. Ronald Comer’s textbook Abnormal Psychology he states that, “Although some people with Alzheimer’s disease may survive for as many as 20 years, the time between onset and death is typically 8 to 10 years” (Julien et al., 2011; Soukup, 2006). As you can see this disease can be a long process for a family to go through.
Personally, Alzheimer’s has effect two family members, one being my Grandfather. He lived for about 10 years with the…