Alzheimers Disease

By: Jacob Caburian

On November 5th, 1901, a 51-year-old woman named Auguste Deter had been admitted to
the hospital. After arriving at the hospital she was then examined by the Doctor named Alois
Alzheimer. At the time Auguste was already impaired, had aphasia, disorientation, and
psychological incompetence; Auguste being only 51-years-old she was diagnosed
with dementia which would eventually becoming the early stages of Alzheimers disease.
Because of her age, Deter was diagnosed with presenile dementia; today, the diagnosis would
be early-onset Alzheimers disease, which is defined as development of the condition before age
65.(Science Blog, 2007)Augustes condition had gradually worsened and eventually started to
lose cognitive functions and had begun to experience hallucinations. About five years later
Augeste had died at the age of 55 in April of 1906. While working under Emil Kraeplin at the
Royal Psychiatric in Munich, Emil hears of the death of Augustes death he requests her medical
records from the Frankfurt institution (where Auguste was cared) for to be sent to him. Almost
100 years later, a Psychiatrist had found the medical records of August in the archives at the
University of Frankfurt. In the archives there was a 32-page file report that had contained the
medical reports of Auguste along with three different cases including actual notes written by
Alois Alzheimer himself. When Alzheimer first interviewed the 51 year-old-woman, she was
enveloped in a fog of confusion, and she exhibited delusional behavior: She was intensely
jealous of her husband; she sometimes would start screaming, thinking people wanted to kill her;
and she became wild and uncontrollable. She died five years later.(Marsala, 2015).

Years later this would become what we know of today as Alzheimers disease. Now what
is Alzheimers disease? Alzheimers disease is a type of dementia that causes problems with
memory, thinking, and behavior. Symptoms of Alzheimers develop slowly and usually get worse
over time and eventually become severe enough to interfere with simple daily tasks.
Alzheimers is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other
intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimers disease accounts for
60 to 80 percent of dementia cases.(Alzheimers Association). While many of us may think that
Alzheimers comes with old age, up to five percent of people in their 40s or 50s are also able to
be diagnosed with Alzheimers. Alzheimers is a disease that worsens over time. The symptoms
of Alzheimers disease progress over time. In the early stages of Alzheimers memory loss can be
minimal, but in the late stages of Alzheimers one can lose the ability to even to carry a normal
conversation and respond to certain things. People with Alzheimers can live up to the average
age of eight years after symptoms become prevalent, but survival can range from four to twenty
years depending on age and health conditions.

One can only ask, What are the causes of Alzheimers disease? In short, the causes of
Alzheimers are heavily dependent on the combinations of genetics, lifestyle, and environment
factors. There is a percentage that is smaller than five percent that the change in genetics that a
person will develop this disease.
In the beginning, one may or may not know or even be aware that he or she may have
early symptoms of Alzheimers disease. The first symptoms of Alzheimer's vary from person to

person. For many, decline in non-memory aspects of cognition, such as word-finding,

vision/spatial issues, and impaired reasoning or judgment, may signal the very early stages of
Alzheimers disease.(National Institute on Aging). The rate of this can vary for different people.
If you have Alzheimers, you may be the first to notice that youre having difficulty
remembering things and organizing your thoughts or you may not recognize that anything is
wrong, even when changes are noticeable to your family members, close friends or coworkers.(Mayo Clinic). It is pretty typical for anyone to have the seldom memory lapse such as
forgetting where one had put his/her keys, but with Alzheimers disease, memory can be far more
severe and worsens which can easily affect the ability to function at work and at home. People
with Alzheimers can repeat statements, forget conversations, often misplace possessions, and
forget the names of friends and family members. Other symptoms can include trouble speaking,
reading, and writing, making decisions and judgement, preforming familiar tasks, and changes in
behavior and mood.

Alzheimers has a great list of risk factors. One of the biggest risk factors of Alzheimers
is old age. The risk of getting Alzheimers greatly increases after one reaches the age of 65.
Nearly half of those of those who are older than 85 have Alzheimers. There are certain people
that may have a rare genetic change that can begin to experience symptoms as early as 30 years
old. Women are more likely to develop Alzheimers than men because they live longer. People
who have had severe trauma to the head also have a great risk of Alzheimers. While there is no
concrete evidence that a particular lifestyle and heart health have a risk factor to develop
Alzheimers, there is some evidence that says that lack of exercise, high blood pressure and
cholesterol, poorly controlled diabetes, and a diet that lacks fruits and vegetables can slightly
increase the risk to develop Alzheimers. Also another thing that can be mentioned is the lack of

vitamin D Available data indicates that lower vitamin D status may be associated with increased
risk of developing AD and dementia. More studies are needed to further confirm the associations
and to evaluate the beneficial effects of vitamin D supplementation in preventing AD and
dementia.(Shen, 2015, 1). There have also been other studies saying that being involved and
having stimulating activities help reduce the risk of developing Alzheimers. Scientist are not
able to explain how this actually reduces the risks, but there is a theory that says that using your
brain more helps to develop more cell interaction which helps to protect your brain from
Alzheimers.
To continue on, when diagnosed with Alzheimers, one can split things up into 3 different
stages. Stage 1 is mild and happens in the early years of Alzheimers. The symptoms in this stage
are frequent memory loss of recent conversations and events. Repeated questions and problems
of understanding language are also apparent in this stage. Other things that are apparent in this
stage are coordination problems. Writing, using of objects, and driving may become difficult.
Needing reminders are also prevalent the early stages of Alzheimers. Stage 1 can last up to 2-4
years. In stage 2, which is moderate, one can expect more persistent memory loss and includes
forgetfulness about personal history and inability to recognize friends or family. Also in this
stage the person is likely to ramble, have unusual reasoning, and confusion about current events.
More likely to become loss in familiar settings, experience sleep disturbances, and changes in
mood and behavior which can be aggravated by stress and change.(Help Guide). In this stage it
will become very apparent if someone has Alzheimers. Stage 2 lasts up to 2-10 years. Stage 3,
by this time one can be very confused about the past and the present. This person will also lose
the ability to remember, communicate with others, and/or process information. A person in this
stage can no longer take care of themselves and must have personal assistance to do just about

anything. There are also problems with hallucinations, behavior, mood, and delirium. The third
stage of Alzheimers can last up to 1-3 years.

References
Alzheimer.net. (2013, December 23). Risk factor for Alz [Photograph]. Retrieved
from http://www.alzheimers.net/2013-12-23/risk-factors-for-alzheimers/
Alzheimer's Association. (n.d.). Alzheimer's disease & Dementia | Alzheimer's
association. Retrieved from http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp
HelpGuide. (n.d.). Alzheimers disease: Symptoms, stages, diagnosis, and coping tips.
Retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/articles/alzheimers-dementia/alzheimers-disease.htm
Marsala, L. (2015). Cracking the Alzheimer's code.
Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Alzheimer's disease symptoms - Mayo Clinic. Retrieved
from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/basics/symptoms/con20023871
National Institute of Aging. (n.d.). Alzheimer's disease fact sheet | National Institute on
Aging. Retrieved from https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/alzheimers-disease-factsheet

Science Blogs. (2007, November 2). Alois Alzheimers first case Neurophilosophy.
Retrieved from http://scienceblogs.com/neurophilosophy/2007/11/02/alois-alzheimers-first-case/
Shen, L., & Ji, H. (2015). Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased risk of
Alzheimers disease and dementia, 1.