Abstract
The progressive loss of structure and function of neurons together with their death is called neurodegeneration. This process often causes such an illness as Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the main causes of dementia that has different symptoms, among them, are language problems, disorientation, rapid mood changes, indifference to life, loss of short memory, strange behavior and inability to manage self-care. Scientists have not discovered the exact factors of the disease yet. Genes, obesity, head injuries and depression can be the ground. Unfortunately, there is no any cure of Alzheimer and elderly of 65 and older are at risk. Nowadays the disease became younger and people in their early forties could suffer from it. People with this incurable illness usually withdraw from society because they need special medical treatment. Eventually, the ill brain influenced the body and it leads to death.
Alzheimer disease is a slow and irreversible process that affects a human brain and is the most common cause of dementia. According to Alzheimer’s Association, the number of people with this illness is being increased. In general, 5.4 million of the USA population have Alzheimer in 2016. The number of people in their mid- sixties and older is 5.2 million, and nearly 200,000 of people are under the age of sixty-five, they are so-called younger –onset Alzheimer’s. One in nine people at the age of sixty-five have this disease. It is predicted that in some decades in the USA someone will develop the disease every thirty-three seconds. By 2050 the number of people at the age of sixty-five will rise from 5.2 million to 13.8 million or even higher. ("Latest Alzheimer's Facts and Figures", 2016)
There are some processes in the brain that lead to the development of such a serious problem as Alzheimer’s disease. The microscopic changes started much before the loss of memory. The brain has 100 billion of nerve cells that are called neurons. Each neuron connects with the others and forms a kind of a network for communication. The groups of nerve cells have their special responsibilities. Some of them are in charge of thinking, learning and memorizing. The others help people percept the world around with the senses of hearing, eyesight and smell. The life and work of neurons in the brain comparable to the work of factory workers who get their special tasks for building, developing, improving and getting rid of screenings. They store the information and communicate with the other cells, keep everything in a move and this process needs coordination and a great amount of oxygen and fuel. Scientists think that Alzheimer disease does not allow the cell factory to work well. The disease is incurable and causes the degeneration of neurons and even their death. ("Alzheimer's Disease & Dementia | Alzheimer's Association", 2016)
Plaques and tangles are the two abnormal structures that play the major roles in the neurons destruction. Plaques are the beds of a protein called amyloid. They usually lay in the spaces between the neurons.
Tangles are bent fibers of another protein that is called tau. Tau is situated inside the cells. Most of the people develop tangle and plaque during their lives but those ones with Alzheimer’s are more numerous. They tend to develop them in the areas which are in charge of memory and then spread to the other important areas of the brain. According to some scientists, tangles and plaques prevent communication of the neurons and destroy the processes that help nerve cells to survive. ("Alzheimer's Disease & Dementia | Alzheimer's Association", 2016)
It is obvious that the destruction and death of neurons cause the memory loss, changes in personality, inability to manage everyday activities and many other symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
The problems with memory are the major sign of Alzheimer’s disease. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a condition when memory gets worse but this process considered as normal change for people of a particular age because it does not have an impact on everyday life of a person. Difficulties with movement and problems with a smell sense connected to MCI. Elderly with MCI are at risk of developing Alzheimer’s but not all of them get the disease. Some can even return to their normal lives.
It is very difficult to distinguish the first symptoms that are typical for everyone. Word- finding, vision and spatial problems, worsening of reasoning and judgment can be signs of the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease. Doctors study biomarkers that found in brain images, cerebrospinal fluid, and blood of people with MCI in order to identify if they related to Alzheimer’s disease development.
At the stage of mild Alzheimer’s disease, people suffer from great memory loss and other cognitive difficulties. The problems usually include wandering and getting lost, repeating questions, troubles with paying bills and handling money, doing everyday activities, changes in behavior and personality. In this stage, the illness is usually diagnosed.
Moderate Alzheimer’s disease causes the damages that occur in the brain areas that responsible for language, thinking, sensors and conscious thoughts. Patients do not recognize their friends and family members. They are also unable to learn new things, doing multi-step actions, for example getting dressed, and cope with the new situations. Hallucinations, paranoia, impulsive behavior, and delusions are also typical for this stage.
Severe Alzheimer’s disease means that plaques and tangles in the brain spread throughout the brain and it shrinks greatly. People with severe Alzheimer’s cannot communicate and are dependent on the other people help. In their last days, a patient lies in bed most of the time because the body cannot move. ("Alzheimer's Disease Fact Sheet", 2016)
There are modifiable and non-modifiable groups of risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease.
Smoking, alcohol, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, lack of physical activity, low levels of formal education, depression and head injuries are in the list of modifiable risk factors.
Smoking is a cause of many illnesses. Smokers, unlike non-smokers, are at 45% higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s and many other forms of dementia. Nevertheless, ex-smokers can reduce the risk.
Alcohol is the fifth of the risk factors of developing various deadly diseases including Alzheimer’s and dementia. A large amount of alcohol affects brain cells and it causes their dysfunction and destruction.
Hypertension or high blood pressure affects the heart, the arteries and circulation of blood, thus, it increases the risk of Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia. In order to prevent this illness, patients must control and cure the high pressure and treat it with physical exercises and proper nutrition. People with normal blood pressure are less at risk.
The type two of diabetes in the middle of a person’s life can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s development. People who do not suffer from this illness have a much low possibility to get Alzheimer’s unlike those who do.
Compared with people who have the normal level of cholesterol people with high level are at a great risk of Alzheimer’s development and many other incurable diseases. The proper cure can reduce this risk.
Obesity and lack of physical activity are among the risk factors for Alzheimer’s. Physical activity can help the organism to maintain the necessary balance, get enough oxygen for blood and brain, and prevent such problems as obesity, depression and dementia.
It seems impossible that study is important not only for brain development but for its health too. Education of a good quality and quantity together with a life-long education and constant brain activity can greatly reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease because a human brain along with body muscles needs its necessary portion of the exercise. Lack of new information can be harmful to brain health. ("Risk factors | Alzheimer Society of Canada", 2016)
The connection between depression and dementia are still being clarifying by the researchers. Some scientists think that depression is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s development while the others claim that it may be the symptom of the disease. In the July 2010 issue of the journal Neurology concluded that “depression is separate from Alzheimer’s and that depressive symptoms can raise the risk of dementia by 50%.” (Science, 2010) The author of one of the theories, Robert Wilson, a neuropsychologist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago claimed that depression could essentially change a human brain. ("Robert S. Wilson, PhD | Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center", 2016) “There may be some actual structural changes associated with depression that render depressed individuals, by the time they reach old age, a little bit more vulnerable to dementia.” (Science, 2010)
Severe or repeated head traumas increase the risk of dementia because the new formations in the brain as the result of the head injury may be the beginning of the illness.
Non- modifiable risk factors include age, genetic factors, gender and different kinds of illness.
Age is the basic factor of Alzheimer’s disease. Not all people develop the illness when they grow older. I recent years Alzheimer’s disease became younger and people in their 40’s or 50’s are at risk. After the age of 65, the risk doubles every five years. Scientists discovered that aging weakens a self-repair mechanism of a human body and brain in particular. As a result, such fatal illness as heart diseases, dementia, high blood and pressure develop.
Alzheimer’s disease cannot be considered as “hereditary” disease. Mostly it occurs randomly. Less than 5% of all cases of Alzheimer’s are familial. It is a great possibility that parents will pass the disease-causing gene to their children from generation to generation. There are three familiar genes that have been recently discovered. They are the PS1, PS2, and APP genes. If a person has at least one of these genes he or she is at a great risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease much earlier, at the age of forty or fifty. Nowadays scientists continue their researches in order to find the other Alzheimer’s disease developing genes.
Sporadic is the most common form of Alzheimer’s disease. It occurs due to the specific combinations of human genes, lifestyle, and the environment.
Scientists argue if gender is a risk factor Alzheimer’s. According to some recent researches, women are at more risk of developing this disease than men. One of the reasons for this conclusion is that women on average live longer than men.
Other severe illnesses such as sclerosis, chronic kidney disease, Parkinson’s disease and HIV increase a person’s chance to develop Alzheimer’s. ("Risk factors | Alzheimer Society of Canada", 2016)
Medicines or treatments have not been discovered for Alzheimer’s disease cure but there are some ways of possibility to reduce the risk of this terrible illness. They include such activities as healthy nutrition, physical activity, mind stimulating activities, and timely cure of the chronical illnesses.
Animal studies proved that exercises increase the number of blood vessels that supply blood to the nerve cells of the brain in old rats and mice. It also raises the level of new cells growth in the brain areas that are responsible for memory and learning. Thus, physical activity is a key point of health development and dementia prevention.
According to a recent research, some kind of food can be useful for brain development while the other can be harmful. The diet that is rich in fruit, vegetables, and whole grains and that contains the minimum of fat and sugar components can reduce the risk of many dangerous diseases and Alzheimer’s in particular. According to a report of one of the studies, the so- called “Mediterranean diet” that includes vegetables, fruits, legumes, fish, olive oil, and cereals can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s up to the 48%. Some kinds of vitamins and dietary supplements can be useful too.
Another way of Alzheimer’s prevention is social engagement and intellectual stimulation. Working, reading, attending different lectures, volunteering, playing games, including computer games, are very helpful to maintain health in the older age.
Preventing or controlling such age-related disease as vascular illness, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes can reduce the developing of dementia and Alzheimer’s. ("NIHSeniorHealth: Alzheimer's Disease - Prevention", 2016)
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease but medicinal and non-medicinal therapies used by the doctors to help the patients with cognitive and behavioral symptoms of the illness. Nowadays scientists are working on the development of a cure that will help to reduce a risk of Alzheimer’s and improve the quality of life for people with this kind of dementia. Different organizations around the world devote their work to help the members of the families where there is a person with Alzheimer’s to cope with this difficult and desperate situation.
References
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Science, L. (2010). Depression May Increase Chances of Getting Alzheimer's. Live Science.
Retrieved 12 June 2016, from http://www.livescience.com/9977-depression-increase-
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