Alzheimer’s Disease
Jeremy Toepp
Period 6 Biology
Causes
Plaques Tangles APOE 2, 3, and 4 on chromosome 19
2-Some protection 3-Neutral 4-Increases risk
Frequency
Varies 2% Most agreed upon percent for 65 year-olds 20% For people over 80 years-old
How it is Passed On
Early-onset or familial AD Autosomal dominant Gene mutations on chromosomes 21, 14, and 1
Late-onset AD Apolipoprotein E (APOE)
Symptoms & Signs
Changes in mood or personality Withdrawal Poor judgment Losing things, can’t backtrack steps New problems in speaking or writing Trouble understanding pictures, car mirrors, etc. Confusion with time or place Difficulty completing familiar tasks Challenges in planning or solving problems Memory loss that affects daily life
Treatments
Some medications can slow the effects
Chances of Relatives Having it Approximately 50% of first-degree relatives
were demented by age 91 Group relatives similar
Prognosis (Outcome)
By the end stages of AD, the person will Have little motor control Little to no short-term memory
This limits them to memories from several years before Have similar effects to severe Dementia
Limitations
Memory loss Recognition of familiar objects or people
Motor control Conversation
Unique Stuff
Named after the German doctor, Alois Alzheimer, who first named it in 1906
The older a person gets, the higher his or her risk of getting Alzheimer's
Only about 1 or 2 people out of 100 have Alzheimer's at age 65
One out of every five people has the disorder by age 80 As many as 4 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease 13.2 million older Americans will have Alzheimer’s by 2050
unless new ways are found to prevent or cure it Caffeine has been clinically proven to help prevent
Alzheimer’s disease