Pathophysiology on Alzheimer's disease

Introduction

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive physical disorder which causes increasingly severe impairment in cognitive and functional ability in individuals suffering from the disorder. The onset of the disease is insidious; the course over the years is devastating. It is estimated that 4 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease the annual economic costs of care run $40 billion. The emotional cost to family and the individual's suffering from the disorder is beyond estimation (Graves, 23).

However, Alzheimer's disease is often misdiagnosed. An incomplete, invalid, or inadequate evaluation can result in failure, to identify reversible forms of dementia and mistreatment and mismanagement. Of Prime importance in the diagnosis of dementia in the elderly is to determine the cause, the course (whether the disease is fixed, likely to progress, or reversible), and the degree of disability, as well as spared abilities. Until these determinations are made, treatment and management plans cannot be developed.

In 2010, there is no effective treatment against the disease progression. The proposed interventions are primarily palliative and have a limited effect on symptoms. Given the prevalence of the disease, a significant effort is being led by the pharmaceutical industry, to discover a drug that would stop the neurodegenerative process. Although the exact causes of Alzheimer's disease are still poorly understood, it is assumed the factors are genetic and environmental, which influence it onset and development.

Pathophysiology of the disease

Symptoms and problems associated with Alzheimer's disease include aphasia (language disturbance); apraxia (inability to carry out motor tasks even though motor abilities are intact); agnosia (problems in recognizing or naming objects); and disturbances in such areas as abstraction, Planning, and organizing. Sometimes there are also personality changes with irritability, anger, and violent act out. Yet many other disorders (physical and emotional) can present symptoms similar to Alzheimer's disease, Problems with concentration and attention as well as abstraction is common with mood disorders such as serious depression. Individuals, who have suffered from an ischemic or cardiovascular accident often, have problems with reasoning and language, with Huntington's disease; there are commonly symptoms of attention disorder and behavioral problems. Medications can cause confusion, disorientation, and agitation (Cummings, 17).

Three stages are seen in Alzheimer's disease

The mild stage (or first stage).

The moderate stage (or second stage).

The pioneering stage (or third stage).

Alzheimer's disease usually begins with disorders of memory. Some patients notice that their memory works less well than before they used to concern with the doctors for it. The symptoms related to memory (memory complaints) are not specific to Alzheimer's disease or other dementias and can be found in various conditions like depression, anxiety, overwork, use of psychotropic medication, apnea including sleep.

Alzheimer's disease may also present with symptoms other than those related to memory. Depression may be an early sign. Loss of functional independence defined by the need for human help in the gestures of everyday life is a situation that can be related to the disease. Other circumstances of discovery are possible: repeated falls, weight loss, behavioral problems. At a more advanced stage (from the ...