The Pathophysiology of Disorders

1. The Pathophysiology of Disorders Student’s Name Institution of Learning

2. Alzheimer’s Disease • Alzheimer’s disease relates to a substantive memory loss that has far-reaching consequences for the life of a patient resulting in the communication issues, safety hazards and behavioral problems (Alzheimer Association, 2015). • Loss of episodic, semantic, and procedural memory. 

3. Changes • Alzheimer's patients are having hardships in production and comprehension of speech; • Losing the ability to read; • Acting out of character; • Experiencing mood swings (Talamo et al., 1989); • Changes in behavior: incontinence, disorientation and aggressiveness. 

4. Pathology of Changes  • Enormous weight loss in case normal diet is still practiced;  • Forgetting to how to swallow  (in the late stages) • Frequent sleep disorders (neurological system) (Serrano-Pozo, Frosch, Masliah, & Hyman, 2011) • Wasting away the muscles and the bed sores in case of bed-ridden state (hematologic system suffers);  • In the worst cases, the development of pneumonia (affects respiratory system)

5. Risk Factors • Age (increased age is the greatest risk even though this disease is not a part of normal aging). Nearly half of people over the age of 85 have Alzheimer. • People with the genetic inclinations might experience the beginning of Alzheimer’s at the age of 30 (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2015) • Genetics: if a person is a first-degree relative then the risks are higher (Beier, 2005) • Yet, gene mutations account only for 5% of Alzheimer’s disease (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2015) • Genetics patterns and influences need more investigations

6. Risk Factors • Sex: women are more vulnerable than men in this regard • Head traumas: patients with such traumas are more likely to have Alzheimer's disease • Lifestyle habits contributing to the development of the illness: smoking; high blood pressure; lack of exercise; poorly controlled diabetes; vegetables and fruit poor diet (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2015). 

7. Diagnosing of the Illness • is diagnosed through the complete medical examination; • medical evaluation involves the examination of medical story; the testing of mental status; exam of neurology; the tests to identify the possible causes of the illness (Alzheimer Association, 2015); • the specialists involved are the neurologists; psychiatrists; psychologists; • early diagnosing gives more time for planning and lessened anxieties about the problems.

8. Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease The treatment of Alzheimer Disease include: • the medications prescribed for the loss of memory (the importance of vitamin E therapy);  • the treatment of behavioral changes of a patient;  • treatment of the sleep disorders associated with the disease;  • the alternative treatment (herbal remedies, dietary supplements, medical food etc.)

9. Mind Map of Alzheimer’s Disease

10. References • Alzheimer Association. (2015). Diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Retrieved from http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_diagnosis.asp • Beier, M. (2005). Alzheimer’s disease: Epidemiology and risk factors. Advanced Studies in Pharmacy, 2(4), 116-124. Retrieved from http://utasip.com/files/articlefiles/pdf/ASIP_Issue_2_4p116_125.pdf • Mayo Clinic Staff. (2015). Risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/basics/risk-factors/con-20023871 • Serrano-Pozo, A., Frosch, M. P., Masliah, E., & Hyman, B. T. (2011). Neuropathological alterations in Alzheimer disease. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine, 1(1), a006189. • Talamo, B. R., Rudel, R. A., Kosik, K. S., Lee, V. M.-Y., Neff, S., Adelman, L., & Kauer, J. S. (1989). Pathological changes in olfactory neurons in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Nature, 337(6209), 736-739.

11. Thank you for your attention!