Alzheimer's
... to make a diagnosis for Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, Alzheimer’s can only be confirmed with certainty by examining the brain after death (autopsy); nevertheless, doctors may evaluate symptoms and risk factors and conclude a pretty accurate diagnosis (“Diagnosis”). By the end of the twentieth century, doctors could diagnose Alzheimer’s disease with a ninety-percent accuracy or fifty-percent accuracy in community hospitals. Of course, certainty still requires an autopsy. The first step to the diagnosis process lies within the person and family members, which is recognizing the problem. Someone you may have heard of Maureen Reagan was having a conversation with her father, Ronald Reagan, about a former movie role and noticed he had difficulty remembering. Less than one year later he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s (Altman 41-42). A person must know the symptoms of Alzheimer’s so that when they occur, you will be able to notice the problem. The symptoms are quite simple. They include: loss of memory, difficulty in finding the correct words, difficulty understanding what people are saying, difficulty in performing previously routine tasks, and personality and mood changes (“About Alzheimer’s Disease”). In some advanced cases, people may adopt unsettling behavior like becoming lost while sleep walking, undressing in public, or even make obscene sexual advances (“Alzheimer’s Disease”). After recognizing the symptoms, a person should see a doctor immediately. The diagnosis must be thorough. It begins with a complete physical examination. Then they gather a complete medical history and ask family members questions to determine if hereditary factors may be a cause of the Alzheimer’s disease (Altman 46). There are two types of Alzheimer’s that exist today. They are known as familial Alzheimer’s, which is hereditary, and sporadic (irregular), where there is no hereditary pattern seen. Alzheimer’s may also be described as early-onset or late onset depending on age. Late onset is most common and occurs in people with an age of over sixty-five (Debaggio 23-24). After the preliminary physical, the doctor may give a series of mental function tests. A person without Alzheimer’s would score twenty-four points or above with a test out of thirty points (Altman 46-47). The next step is a blood analysis test. This step may reveal an amazing amount of information so the doctor may make sure there is not anything else that can be effecting the memory loss. Another test that does almost the same thing, but more in depth, is neurological testing, these tests check for more serious things such as brain tumors, strokes, and “non-Alzheimer’s dementias” that may be the cause of symptoms of Alzheimer’s. During the course of Alzheimer’s disease, nerve cells die in particular regions of the brain. The brain shrinks as gaps develop in the regions of the brain, which are responsible for storing and retrieving information. It affects their ability to speak, remember, and hold discussions. “Triangles” and “plaques” made from protein fragments are observed under the microscope in damaged areas of the brain. This plays a part in diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease also (“About Alzheimer’s Disease”). Beyond these tests the doctor may choose to perform “lumbar punctures”, electronic phalograms, X-rays, CTs, CATs, and MRIs. Many of these tests are optional and may be very expensive, but the more tests the doctor performs, the more accurate the diagnosis. The final step is to see a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist is offend appointed by the doctor and will evaluate the patient’s behaviors. Finally, after the doctor has ruled out all the alternatives, the diagnosis is justified. It is then the doctor’s job to prepare the family. The family may act in horror, grief, or even resignation (Altman 48-52). Although families may act in this way, an early diagnosis will allow them to be better prepared, make decisions about “financial and legal affairs,” and the patient will be able to benefit from any existing treatments (“Diagnosis”). In any case, the patient and the family are going to be devastated when Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed; furthermore, there is no actual known cure for Alzheimer’s (“Survival After Alzheimer’s Diagnosis”). Although in the past ninety-four years of knowing about Alzheimer’s, there have been many advances in medication to help slow the process of the progressive loss of cells in the brain. There have been four drugs approved by the “Unites States Food and Drug Administration” (FDA) to treat Alzheimer’s disease. The four drugs are Tacrine (Cognex ®), which was approved in 1993, Donepezil (Aricept ®), which was approved in 1996, Rivastigmine (Exelon ®), which was just approved in 2000, and Galantamine (Reminyl ®), which was approved just one year later in ...