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Alzheimer’S Disease A Look Within

Alzheimer’s disease a look within

Introduction
Have you ever experienced a situation where you recognize a person and yet can’t remember their names? Or walked out the door and can’t remember why you were leaving your house and where you were going? This is a reality for the 5.2 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s (Alzheimer's Association 2008, ¶ 1) Alzhemier’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and is the sixth leading cause of death among the elderly.
Alzheimer’s disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German doctor who in 1906 studied the brain tissue of a woman who died of a mental illness. Upon his investigation of her brain he noticed the abnormal clumps and tangled bundles of fibers which are now considered traditional signs of the disease (USNIH 2008, ¶ 4). Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder which involves portions of the brain that control thought, memory, and language. This disorder has serious affects on a person’s ability to carry out daily activities. While scientists are still learning about the disorder they still are unclear on what really causes this disease and are constantly looking for a cure.
Causes
Scientists do not yet fully understand what causes Alzheimer’s disease because there is not one single cause but several factors that can cause the problem. The most common risk factor is a person’s age because “The number of people with the disease doubles every 5 years beyond age 65” (USNIH 2008). Another risk factor for this disease is family history, genetics, and other medical conditions that can cause this disease. Some of these medical conditions can be caused by a high fever, dehydration, vitamin deficiency and poor nutrition, bad reactions to medicines, problems with the thyroid gland, or a minor head injury.
Signs & Symptoms
The seven warning signs of Alzheimer's disease are:
1. Asking the same question over and over again.
2. Repeating the same story, word for word,...