Alzheimers Disease Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Alzheimers Disease - Research Paper ExampleAlzheimers disease, also known as Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (SDAT), is a progressive and irreversible neurological disease of the brain that results in loss of memory. It is known to impede intellectual and reason skills and cause changes in personality and behavior thereby affecting daily life and activities (Nordqvist, 2009). Dementia is not a disease but rather a group of symptoms that may accompany certain disease and conditions. It therefore affects ones social and occupational functioning. It is estimated that nearly 35 million mass worldwide from all racial, economic, and educational backgrounds suffer from Alzheimers (Fisher Center for Alzheimers Research Foundation, n.d.a). Out of these nearly 5.3 million people live in the United States of America (Fisher Center for Alzheimers Research Foundation, n.d.a). This disease is close toly known to affect people everyplace the age of 60 years but it may also affect people w ho are in their 50s and rarely those younger than that.This disease has been named after a German neuropathologist and psychiatrist called Alois Alzheimer who first identified presenile dementia in 1906. Emil Kraeplin, who was one of the first off German psychiatrists of that era, later coined the term Alzheimers disease naming it after his colleague (Maurer, Volk, & Gerbaldo, 1997). Alzheimers is a term that is still used to refer to the most common cause of senile dementia. It is believed that plaques and tangles develop within the structure of the brain. during the course of this disease which causes the brain cells to die (Nordqvist, 2009). These abnormal changes in the brain worsen over time, eventually affecting many functions of the brain. The disease is known to advance in stages, progressing from mild forgetfulness and cognitive impairment to extensive loss of mental abilities (Nordqvist, 2009). In the right stages, people tend to become fully dependent on others for eve ry area of their daily needs. The most common cause of death among those affected by this disease is infection like pneumonia and pressure ulcers ((Nordqvist, 2009). People suffering from Alzhiemer