(‘normal brain’ vs ‘alzheimer brain’)
*extreme shrinkage of ‘cerebral cortex’*
(top left)
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*extreme shrinkage of ‘hippocampus’*
(botton left)
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*entorhinal cortex*
(bottom left)
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*severely enlarged ventricles*
(right)
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*abbreviated as alzheimer’s*
(although i disapprove of titles that end with the possessive ‘apostrophe S’)
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-as of [2 MARCH 2024]–
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-[alzheimer’s disease] (AD) is a chronic neuro-de-generative disease that usually starts slowly and gets worse over time-
.
(it is the cause of 60% – 70% of cases of ‘dementia’)
.
(the most common early symptom is ‘difficulty in remembering recent events’)
*aka “short-term memory loss”*
.
(as the ‘disease’ advances, symptoms can include…)
*problems with ‘language’*
‘dis-orientation’
(including easily getting lost)
*mood swings*
*loss of ‘motivation’*
*not managing ‘self-care’*
*behavioral issues*
.
(as a person’s condition declines, they often withdraw from ‘family’ + ‘society’)
(gradually, ‘bodily functions’ are lost, ultimately leading to ‘death’)
(although the speed of progression can vary, the average life expectancy following diagnosis is 3 years – 9 years)
(the cause of ‘alzheimer’s disease’ is poorly understood)
.
(about 70% of the risk is believed to be ‘genetic’)
(with many ‘genes’ usually involved)
.
(other risk factors include…)
*a history of ‘head injuries’*
*depression*
*hyper-tension*
.
(the ‘disease process’ is associated with plaques and tangles in the brain)
(a ‘probable diagnosis’ is based on the history of the illness and cognitive testing with medical imaging and blood tests to rule out other possible causes)
(initial symptoms are often mistaken for ‘normal aging’)
(examination of ‘brain tissue’ is needed for a definite diagnosis)
(‘mental/physical exercise + avoiding ‘obesity’ may decrease the risk of ‘AD’)
(there are no ‘medications’ or ‘supplements’ that decrease risk)
(no treatments stop or reverse its progression, though some may temporarily improve symptoms’)
Affected people increasingly rely on others for assistance, often placing a burden on the caregiver;
the pressures can include social, psychological, physical, and economic elements.
Exercise programmes are beneficial with respect to activities of daily living and can potentially improve outcomes.
Treatment of behavioural problems or psychosis due to dementia with antipsychotics is common but not usually recommended due to there often being little benefit and an increased risk of early death.
(in 2015, there were approximately 48 million people worldwide with AD)
It most often begins in people over 65 years of age, although 4% to 5% of cases are early-onset Alzheimer’s which begin before this.
(it affects about 6% of people 65 years + older)
(in 2010, dementia resulted in about 486,000 deaths)
(it was first described by (and later named after) german psychiatrist + pathologist ‘alois alzheimer’ in ‘1906’)
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(in ‘developed countries’, ‘AD’ is 1 of the most financially costly diseases)
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*👨🔬🕵️♀️🙇♀️*SKETCHES*🙇♂️👩🔬🕵️♂️*
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👈👈👈☜*“MYSTERY DISEASES”* ☞ 👉👉👉
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💕💝💖💓🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤❤️💚💛🧡❣️💞💔💘❣️🧡💛💚❤️🖤💜🖤💙🖤💙🖤💗💖💝💘
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*🌈✨ *TABLE OF CONTENTS* ✨🌷*
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🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥*we won the war* 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥