Alzheimers Disease

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Alzheimers Disease

• Sefy Reznik 92A - 11

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Alzheimers Disease

• The disease is also known as AD
• Named after German physician Alois Alzheimer, who
  first identified the disease in 1906

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Mode of Inheritance

• AD is a genetic disease
• AD is caused by mutations in multiple genes
• Mutations that occur on the 1, 14, 19, and 21
  chromosome are responsible for Alzheimer's
  Disease
• The autosomal genes responsible for AD are
  dominant
• There are not that many cases of children being
  born with AD, but there have been some rare
  cases.
• As humans age their chances of getting the
  disease are increased
• Mutations on chromosomes 1, 14, and 21 have been
  found to be linked with rare forms of the disease
  which strike at earlier times in ones life
• Mutations on chromosome 19 are linked to apoE4,
  which is the common form of the disease, which
  forms after the age of 65

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Family Inheritance

• Mother has normal genes while father has one
  defective gene or a normal gene

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Symptoms of Alzheimers Disease

• Weaker memory
• There is such a lack of memory that people with
  AD forget very easy things, such as family
  members existence
• Confusion
• Restlessness
• Change in behavior and personality
• Weaker judgmental skills
• Weaker communication skills
• Inability to follow directions
• Lack of emotion

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Detection of Alzheimers Disease

• When a person is displaying some of the symptoms
  listed before he/she should go to a doctor to see
  if he/she has AD
• Doctors can perform some tests to determine
  whether or not a person has AD

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Diagnostic Testing for Alzheimer's Disease

• By ruling out conditions and by a process of
  elimination, Doctors can accurately diagnose AD
  90 of the time, but test must be done to be
  sure.
• Tests include
• Mental status test?
• Neuropsychological testing
• Blood work
• Urinalysis - Lab testing of the urine for certain
  factors that might relate to AD
• Chest x-ray
• Electroencephalogram (EEG) - a test that records
  the brains electrical activity
• Computed tomography scan - also known as a CAT or
  CT scan. A test where doctors take computerized
  imaging and x-rays to make a 3-d model of a
  persons body with detailed views of muscles,
  bones, fat, and organs
• Electrocardiogram - also known as EKG or ECG. A
  test that records the electrical activity of the
  heart. It can detect abnormal rhythms, and heart
  muscle stress

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Prognosis of Alzheimer's Disease

• Once diagnosed with AD a person has an expected 3
  - 6 years to live (this also varies on age
  because younger AD people have a longer life
  expectancy)
• As of right now there are no cures for AD, but
  there are medicines that can slow down the
  symptoms of AD

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Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease

• There are no treatments for AD but there are
  medicines available to slow down the symptoms.
• These medicines are
• Aricept - this is a drug which increases the
  amount of neurotransmitter acetylcholine in an AD
  persons brain
• Namenda - which is a new medicine. It protects
  brain cells from glutamate (a chemical), which
  damages nerve cells
• Also Antidepressants and anti-anxiety pills can
  be given by a doctor to relieve an AD patients
  symptoms (but not get rid of them)

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Current Research

• New medications that are being produced are
  trying to prevent beta-amyloid protein (a protein
  thought to be a cause of AD) from depositing in
  the brain. Another approach involves
  administering a new vaccine that stimulates the
  immune system to prevent deposition of
  beta-amyloid. This vaccine tested well on animals
  and is now being tried on health human beings to
  check for possible side-effects. It is unknown
  how well it work on humans but scientist hope to
  find out in the near future

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Genetic Counseling

• If two parents were to go to a genetic counselor,
  the counselor would research the family tree of
  the parents for patterns with great detail, and
  research signs of the disease in the family. In
  the case that one of the parents were a carrier
  he would explain the 50 chance of their child
  having AD.

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Graphics related to Alzheimers Disease
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Additional Interesting Facts about Alzheimers
Disease

• There are 4 - 5 million people living with
  Alzheimer's in the United States
• The older a person gets the higher his/her
  chances of developing Alzheimers disease is
• 1 out of 4 people above 80 years of age will get
  Alzheimers disease

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Citations

• http//learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/disorders/wha
  taregd/alzheimers/index.cfm
• http//www.noah-health.org/en/bns/disorders/alzhei
  mer/index.html
• http//healthcare.utah.edu/healthinfo/adult/Neuro/
  alzheim.htm
• http//healthlink.mcw.edu/article/980547889.html