AD
Alzheimer's Disease
Definition
Nervous System
Signs and Symptoms
- extreme memory loss
- sudden changes in mood/ personality
- forgetting how to do simple tasks (tying shoes, etc)
- In later stages- forgetting names of close friends and family, self
- less advanced vocabulary
Diagnosis
There are no concrete ways of diagnosing Alzheimer's before these symptoms occur, but there are ways that scientists can predict the chances of getting the disease. For instance, if you are a carrier of ApoE, an allele that would form on chromosome 19, you have a higher percent chance of getting AD than someone who isn't a carrier (this allele is not a marker for African-Americans for unknown reasons). Another reason that one might have a higher risk for Alzheimer's would be if he/she used benzodiazepines (valium, Xanax, and Ativan being examples) for a long period of time (>3 months) causes a higher risk for contracting AD.
Treatments and Prognosis
Connection
My grandfather has Alzheimer’s, and I was finding that I didn’t really know about the disease, or, to be more specific, what the science behind it is so I decided that it would be useful to research something that is pertinent to my present life.