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

Alzheimers Disease - Research Paper Example Alzheimer’s 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 reasoning 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 people worldwide from all racial, economic, and educational backgrounds suffer from Alzheimer’s (Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, n.d.a). Out of these nearly 5.3 million people live in the United States of America (Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, n.d.a). This disease is mostly known to affect people over the age of 60 years but it may also affect people who 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 foremost German psychiatrists of that era, later coined the term ‘Alzheimer’s disease’ – naming it after his colleague (Maurer, Volk, & Gerbaldo, 1997). Alzheimer’s 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 advanced stages, people tend to be come fully dependent on others for every 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’