Alzheimer’S Disease And Brain Affectation

Alzheimer’s disease and brain affectation

Through the years, the development of medicine has allowed to detect and prevent diseases with enough anticipation, thus avoiding the prejudices that these health alterations cause to man. However, still in the 16th century, we face different diseases that go unnoticed in the eyes of health specialists and do not have an immediate cure. Alzheimer’s is among the top positions of this classification.

Alzheimer is a neurological disease that manifests itself as cognitive impairment and behavioral disorders (Albert, Martínez, Gutiérrrez, Hakim, and Perez 2014: 1) WHO describes Alzheimer’s as the main cause of dementia and with a rapid boom in the population, the last years. According to a published article by Cognifit Health, Brain and Neroscience entitled "What is Alzheimerdaily activities. However, when these neurons are damaged, due to Alzheimer’s disorder, they lose the ability to correctly perform their learning, memory, communication function, among others. Eventually these damaged cells begin to affect other areas of the brain due to the established neuronal connections and ends with the death of the same. The brain with the absence of cells, is shrunk and triggers the main signs and symptoms of the disease.

Although Alzheimer’s disease implies a deterioration of nerve cells, the exact etiology of this disorder is not defined in medicine studies. However, various tests and research have allowed identifying risk factors that would increase the probability of the appearance of this disease.

The first risk factor is related to the patient’s age. This disease is characterized by mainly affecting the elderly. According to an article entitled "Alzheimer. On the other hand, the genetic factor also influences the risk of having this disorder. There are certain genes that increase the probability of developing the disease. According to an article published by the Alzheimer’s Association entitled "Basic Information about Alzheimer’s disease" the APOE-E4 gene, which could be inherited from the person’s father, increases the risk of Alzheimer’s suffering, as well as having a family history. However, there are also some risk factors that can be caused by the patient’s health status such as traumatic lesions at the head and vascular diseases.

The signs and symptoms of this disease gradually appear regarding the progress of the disorder. Each Alzheimer’s patient experiences an evolution of the pathology other than those of the other patients and is likely that the occurrence of the symptoms will be spontaneous. The progressive alteration of memory is the central element in Alzheimer’s dementia (Peña 1999: 32) This the main problem of the cognitive area presented to the patient, but not the only one. The Alzheimer’s patient also presents problems and conflicts in orientation, verbal capacities and in the functions of analyzing and representing objects mentally. On the other hand, Alzheimer also involves an alteration in the psychological and behavioral field. According to an article by Bright Focus Foundation entitled "The signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease" is characteristic of the disease The patient’s emotional change. The person can have anxiety, depression, irritability or apathy conditions.

The treatment of the disease, detected as Alzheimer’s. It is important to provide information on the stadium in which the patient is, the knowledge of the symptoms, of evolution and the possible complications for the family to be more comprehensive in the patient’s situation. (Fontán 2012: 6) According to an article published by Archibaldo Donoso Sepúlveda, pioneer of neuropsychology, entitled "Alzheimer’s disease", the treatment is divided into three important elements the pharmacological treatment, the stimulation of the activity, and family orientation. Pharmacological treatments are used to improve cognitive defects and/or correct behavioral disorders. Within the development of the activity, different physical and mental exercises such as walking, dancing, drawing, performing domestic work, among others to favor neuronal connections,. Regarding family orientation, the patient’s close people should be prepared to deal with patient behavior disorders.

Alzheimer’s precise prevention is currently not determined, however there are certain daily practices that reduce the risk factors of contracting this disease. Taking into account vascular diseases, the main risk factor of Alzheimer’s, healthy habits have been developed to eradicate these health complications. According to a published article by the Argentine Neurology magazine entitled "Diet and Prevention in Alzheimer’s disease", the balanced and healthy diet is an excellent way to counteract the problems of the circulatory system. As well as a control and monitoring of any cardiovascular risk that the person could present, according to the Spanish magazine with the article entitled “Prevention of Alzheimer’s disease: a path to follow”. Also, an article by Bright Focus Foundation entitled "Prevention of Alzheimer’s disease: healthy nutrition and lifestyle" affirms that exercising regularly, maintaining a constant weight and an active social life, decrease the risk of suffering some dementia.