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We have all heard of this disease, whether in passing or in a personalsituation. Alzheimer’s is a huge epidemic, ecause it a!ects millions of people in the

".# alone, $et we %now so little aout it. &ost people have a general understandingof the disease. We are aware that it causes people to lose their memor$ and thatthere is no current cure. #cientists are continuousl$ conducting research in anattempt to answer the 'uestions that so man$ of us have. (magine the lives of thosethat have had to stand $ and watch this disease ta%e over their loved ones. &a$e$ou have had experience with it $ourself. )nowing aout Alzheimer’s can e helpfulto the millions that are a!ected $ it.

Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative rain disease. (t has een listed as thesixth leading cause of death in the ".#. *his disease is most commonl$ seen inpeople of ages sixt$ +ve and older. esearch supports that damage egins $earsefore s$mptoms ecome noticeale. #cientists have discovered primar$ mar%ers

to the on-set of Alzheimer’s %nown as am$loid eta pla'ues and neuro+rillar$tangles. *he$ are created $ toxic protein deposits, and the$ inhiit neurons fromsuccessfull$ sending nerve signals throughout the rain. *he damage usuall$ eginsin the hippocampus which is the center for emotion and memor$. ver time, theentire rain ecomes a!ected. (n the later stages of Alzheimer’s, rain scansindicate signi+cant tissue shrin%age.

 *hrough the process of +nding lin%s to the possile causes of Alzheimer’s,scientists have een ale to identif$ certain genes as possile predispositions todeveloping the disease. A speci+c gene %nown as A has most commonl$ eenpaired with late-onset 2age 34 and older5 Alzheimer’s. 6ou can receive this gene

from each parent. eceiving the gene from oth parents increases $our ris% more.7$ using previous %nowledge scientists have een ale to identif$ other genes thatcould possil$ e involved in developing Alzheimer’s. 8or example, the am$loid etapla'ues that have een lin%ed to the onset of Alzheimer’s, are cleared regularl$ $the gene 9(", which has also een lin%ed to a possile genetic predisposition. *hesegenes are more accuratel$ referred to as ris% factors rather than causes, ecausehaving the genes does not necessaril$ mean that it will lead to the development ofAlzheimer’s. While these genes are ris% factors, lifest$le and environment have alsoshown to have a signi+cant e!ect.

aving a health$ lifest$le is important in general, ut has also indicated anailit$ to slow the process of Alzheimer’s. rotecting the cererovascular s$stem

strengthens the rain’s ailit$ to defend itself against neurodegenerative diseasesli%e Alzheimer’s. igh lood pressure, diaetes, and smo%ing damages circulation inthe rain, which in turn decreases the rain’s ailit$ to protect itself. Aeroicexercise activates vascular and other protective factors that strengthen the rain’sailit$ to function properl$ over time. #tudies have also shown that %eeping anactive mind is important in rain health. Attending social events, completingpuzzles, and even engaging in simple conversations strengthens the rainsigni+cantl$. A health$ diet pla$s an important role in rain health. A health$ diet is

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consistent with what most people have heard efore, such as consuming a goodalance of proteins, fats, and caroh$drates, avoiding re+ned sugars, and rel$ing onwater as a main source of h$dration. While this t$pe of lifest$le cannot serve as acure, it can prolong life without Alzheimer’s s$mptoms.

While not ever$one will develop Alzheimer’s, those that will cannot prevent it.

 *here are wa$s to dela$ the on-set, ut eventuall$ s$mptoms will appear. *hes$mptoms range in severit$, and that has led to three categorizations thatdetermine which stage an Alzheimer’s victim is in. *he +rst is the mild stage. (n thisstage s$mptoms are minimal, ranging from having di;cult$ coming up with theright word in a conversation, to misplacing valuale items. $ mentioned throughout thestages of Alzheimer’s, s$mptoms change throughout the disease. #ome of the most

common s$mptoms displa$ed are the inailit$ to reason and retain information.esults of these inailities are repetitive 'uestions and conversations, as well as afailure to notice threats to safet$. ne of the most devastating s$mptoms is the lossof personalit$. &ood swings occur regularl$, frustration and anger are easil$triggered, and the person $ou once %new is no longer the same.

8amilies are the +rst to notice s$mptoms. *heir assistance allows the doctorsto form a diagnosis. *ests are also used in the diagnosis of an Alzheimer’s patient $measuring the damage caused from the disease. A common test called &assesses a large range of mental ailities. *he assessments can measure thepatient’s ailit$ to understand instructions, measure their attention span, and much

more. *he assessments can include activities such as repeating a list of words oreven writing grammaticall$ correct sentences. ?i!erent scans such as 9*s or &(shelp rule out other possile causes of s$mptoms, such as rain tumors. @s canhelp doctors in diagnosis $ measuring rain activit$. nce the patient has eendiagnosed, medications are generall$ prescried to attempt to dela$ s$mptoms.ver time scientists have een ale to develop treatments, not to cure, ut toprolong an Alzheimer’s patient’s memor$ as long as possile. azad$ne and Ariceptare two common medications used toda$. *hese t$pes of medications are currentl$all that is availale to help Alzheimer’s patients.

 *he onl$ wa$ to continue to develop new lin%s and medications that havestronger e!ects are to conduct clinical trials. ach trial starts o! with a 'uestion. 7$

creating a chain of 'uestions, scientists are ale to pic% up information and expandit. 9urrentl$ there is a trial focusing on a medication called solanezuma. *he goal isfor this new medicine to dela$ Alzheimer’s $ destro$ing the am$loid efore itdestro$s the rain tissue. (f this medication proves to e a success, science willhave made a maor leap into identif$ing Alzheimer’s as a whole.

Alzheimer’s has spread dramaticall$ over the last decade. &an$ more peopleare a!ected $ it ever$ da$. ver million people in the entire world have een

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diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or some other form of memor$ impairment. *his doesnot include the sevent$ +ve percent that have not $et een diagnosed. #tudiessuggest that as a result of the a$ ooming age the amount of Alzheimer’s victimsin the future are expected to grow rapidl$. *wo thirds of the victims diagnosed arewomen, and predominantl$ African American and ispanic. With such a rapid

growth of the disease expected in the near-$ future, a cure could not come fastenough. ?i!erent organizations have een put into place to advocate for researchand funding, the most common eing the Alzheimer’s Association. While thisorganization pla$s a huge role in supporting research, the$ also provide services forthose who have een a!ected $ the disease. *he$ o!er services an$where fromproviding coping mechanisms to counseling sessions. *hese groups help victims andtheir families cope with this devastating disease. While a cure is not availale, thesupport helps those a!ected in tremendous wa$s.

BAA(9 ress elease C AA(9 D014.B AAIC. AlzheimerEs Association (nternational9onference, n.d. We. F1 &ar. D013. Ghttps://www.alz.org/aaic/releasesHD014/wed-Iam*.aspJ.

BAlzheimerEs #tatistics.B Alzheimers.net .