Amy

Alzheimer's Disease is a type of Dementia. Dementia is the loss of memory or causes problems for your memory. Out of all dementia cases, 50-80% are Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's Disease is an autosomal disorder because it affects the body tissues or brain tissues, in this case, and not gametes. Anyone with Alzheimer's have 46 chromosomes. Most people with dementia or Alzheimer's Disease is 65 years and older. Alzheimer's Disease doesn't only affect the elder population. Some people in their 40s or 50s might get early onset Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's can be an inherited disease. Alzheimer's is known to get worse as life goes on. In later stages of Alzheimer's, victims may lose their ability to have simple conversations. Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. __Symptoms of Alzheimer's__:
 * Memory loss
 * Confusion
 * Disorientation
 * Behavior changes
 * Difficulty to speak
 * Impairment in judgement
 * Depression and/or fear
 * Inability to recognize self and/or others

There are two kinds of Alzheimer's Disease, Early-onset and Late-onset. Early-onset is less common and occurs before the age of 60. Late-onset is the most common and occurs in those of age 60 and older. Early-onset Alzheimer's is also known as Familial Alzheimer's Disease. This kind of Alzheimer's is caused by a gene mutation on either the first, fourteenth, or twenty-first chromosome. Late-onset Alzheimer's high risk factor involves a gene in chromosome nineteen, which is called Apolipoprotein E.

There are many diseases and problems that can cause dementia. These problems include brain tumors, blood clots within the brain, hypothyroidism, severe vitamin B12 deficiency, side effects of some medicines and depression. Outside factors that may contribute to this disorder may be the environment or lifestyle of the person.

Suspects that may contribute to Alzheimer's are two abnormal structures called plaques and tangles. Plaques or betaamyloid, a protein, build up between nerve cells. Tangles or tau, another protein, build up inside cells. People with Alzheimer's develop these structures at a more rapid rate with those that don't. These structures tend to grow in areas that are important for memory first. Most experts believe that these structures obstruct communication between the nerve cells. Thus this explains why people with Alzheimer's have trouble remembering information, especially newly learned information because the signals to the brain are slowed or completely blocked.

There is no cure for Alzheimer's,sadly. The average life expectancy for those with Alzheimer's is about eight to ten years after showing symptoms of the disease. However, depending on age and other health conditions, it is possible to survive up to twenty years.





__**References:**__ __**[|www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp]**__ __**[|www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001767/]**__ __**[|www.ec-online.net/knowledge/articles/genetics.html]**__ __**"Health at Home" by Don R. Powell, Ph.D. and the American Institute for Preventive Medicine**__