Alzheimer’s Disease

What is Alzheimer’s disease? Worldwide, around 24 million people are affected by dementia. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a form of dementia. About 60–80 % of all dementia patients suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. In rare cases patients can be under the age of 60 years old. First described in 1906, Alzheimers’s is an organic brain disease that was named and identified by the German scientist Alois Alzheimer (1864–1915). Since then, the number of Alzheimer’s patients has risen and will probably rise further due to increasing life expectancy . Although many scientists are researching Alzheimer’s disease, there is still a lot we can only speculate about. There is no medication to heal dementia, nor do we know enough about the actual causes of the disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease. Neurodegenerative means that nerve cells die due to a disorder of the nervous system.

What causes Alzheimer’s disease? Even though a lot of research is focused on Alzheimer’s disease, the actual causes are still unknown. Diabetes, high blood pressure, metabolic diseases, concussion and high cholesterol values are expected to be risk factors in Alzheimer’s disease. A genetic predisposition may increase the risk as well. First-degree relatives of Alzheimer’s patients have a four times higher risk and second-degree relatives have a two times higher risk. Last but not least, the greatest risk factor may be patient age. The risk of being affected by AD increases with age. The following values represent the approximate probability of being affected, in relation to age:

65–74: 1.7% 75–84: 11% 85+: 30% What role do plaques and tangles play? Protein deposits are typical in Alzheimer’s disease. There are two types of protein deposits, plaques (deposits of protein fragments called beta-amyloid peptides, which build up in the spaces between nerve cells) and tangles (twisted fibers of another protein, called tau, which build up inside cells). Alzheimer’s disease is a tauopathy. Tauopathies are diseases that exhibit deposits of Tau proteins. Tau proteins usually bind to microtubules and regulate their assembly. The abnormal Tau proteins in AD clump together in diseased neurons. These can then no longer fulfill their functions.

Scientists still do not know exactly which role plaques and tangles play in Alzheimer’s disease. Some assume that they block communication among nerve cells and disrupt processes that neurons need to survive.

Which symptoms are common? The symptoms of Alzheimer’s are caused by the reduction of brain efficiency and the death of nerve cells. In the course of the disease, the cerebral matter is reduced. This reduction is called brain atrophy. The disease process can be divided into three stages:

the early, the middle and the late stage.

During the early stage the following symptoms may occur:

impaired short-term memory disorders of planning and structuring thinking struggling to find words difficulties in orientation The Alzheimer’s patient is aware of forgetting things. In general a self-determined life is possible.

During the middle stage of Alzheimer’s, the following symptoms may occur:

mental restrictions progress language difficulties develop impaired long-term memory character changes unrest delusional fears In this stage the patient loses their awareness of having Alzheimer’s. A self-determined life is no longer possible.

The late stage is characterized by the following symptoms:

severe mental depletion immense speaking disorders (patient finds no or only few words) loss of control over the bladder, intestine and body walking impossible -> bedridden or in a wheelchair stiffening of extremities swallowing disorders seizures the patient’s susceptibility to infection increases Alzheimer’s disease is not fatal, although the patient’s death is often caused by an associated infectious disease.

Is there any method of treatment? Alzheimer’s disease is not curable. Therapies today aim at delaying the disease. Cholesterinase inhibitors are prescribed during the early to middle stage of Alzheimer’s. Glutamate antagonists are prescribed during middle to late stage Alzheimer’s.

Nevertheless, accompanying drug-free treatment is important as well:

Early – Middle stage:

Ergotherapy Logopedics Physiotherapy Behavior therapy Memory training Music therapy Art therapy Body-related therapy Memory therapy Late stage:

Physiotherapy Behavior therapy Music therapy Body-related therapy Prophylaxis: There is also research focused on the polyamine, spermidine, which is reduced in AD patients as the disease progresses. Wheatgerm and soy beans contain a high amount of spermidine. Researchers at the Charité (Berlin) examined the impact of spermidine on healthy human memory. After three-months taking spermidine compounds the memory performance of the subjects improved.

BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Borenstein A. R., Mortimer J. A.: Alzheimer’s Disease: Life Course Perspectives on Risk Reduction, Elsevier Science Publishing Co Inc., 2014 2. http://dict.leo.org 3. www.dict.cc 4. www.webster-dictionary.org

EXERCISE: 1. A very well-known risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease is a. family history of the disease b. depression c. increasing age d. poor vision

2. What approaches to healthy aging are being studied for preventing Alzheimer’s disease? a. Eating a healthy diet b. lowering high blood pressure c. being physically active d. all of the above

3. It has been estimated that between _________________ of 65–75 year olds will develop Alzheimer’s disease. A. 20–30% B. 5–10% C. 0–5% D. 10–20%

You’ll find the answers on: http://tinyurl.com/weiterbildung-englisch

Die Autorin: Carmen Lobitz mail@lobitz-seminare.de www.lobitz-seminare.de

Carmen Lobitz ist freie Trainerin, Lehrerin und MTA. Sie gründete 1998 in Berlin lobitz seminare, die u.a. Englischseminare für Health Professionals anbieten.

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Lösung für Exercise:

Answer: 1. a Answer: 2. d Answer: 3. c

Alzheimer’s Disease

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