Alzheimers Disease Essay, Research Paper

Alzheimer s Disease is a disease of the brain characterized by

confusion, loss of memory, and hallucinations. The disease

affects an estimated 2.5 to 3 million people in the United

States and is a leading cause of dementia among the elderly. It

starts as the loss of memory, then becomes an inability to

perform everyday functions.

Alzheimer’s disease usually starts after the age of sixty

five. Early onset Alzheimer’s disease is rare and very

aggressive. It can affect people as young as the age of thirty.

Although currently there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease,

therapies are available that can reduce the severity of the

symptoms. The average survival rate of people with the disease

is between five and ten years, although many people now survive

fifteen years or more because of improvements in treatment.

Although the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease increases

with advancing age, there is no evidence that it is caused by the

aging process. The ability of doctors to diagnose Alzheimer’s

disease has improved over the last ten years, but final diagnosis

can be confirmed only at autopsy. At autopsy, people with

Alzheimer’s disease show nerve cell loss in the parts of the

brain associated with thought.

The person suffering from Alzheimer s disease usually

requires a level of care beyond what family members can

provide. The causes are still unknown, and no cure is in sight. I

feel that this disease is a major killer in the United States and

should be studied even more. Hopefully there will be a cure

within the next few years to prevent this terrible disease.