HPEX 440-chap 13 alzheimers

dementia

not a disease but a set of symptoms thay are caused by various diseases/conditions

dementia symotms

• Deterioration in memory thinking

• behavior that is sever enough to interfere with daily life

numerous form of dementia exist

alzheimer’s disease is most prevalent

alzheimer accounts for

50-80% of dementia causes 6th leading cause of death

vascular dementia

2nd most commin (block/reduce blood flow to the brain depriving brain cells of vital oxygen/nutrients)

more than 1 type of dementia can be

present-mixed dementia

amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain are

hallmarks of the disease

amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles cause

synaptic and neuronal cell death by blocking the communication amoung nerve cells

vascular dementia is oftened caused by a

stroke that obstucts a brain artery and deprives local neurons of oxygen/nutrients

what are the top 10 signs of early signs

• memory loss

• social withdrawl

• poor judgement

• struggling to communicate

• change in vision

• confusion of time and place

• hard to complete fimiliar task

• misplacing belongings

• change in mood

age is a

greater risk factor

what % of people with alzheimer’s are less than 65

5%

early onset of disease often runs in

families

familia inheritance

risk factor for all forms of dementia

controllable risk factors

• alcohol abuse

• atherosclerosis

• hypertension

• high LDL

• depression

• obesity

etiology of Alzheimer’s

unknown but amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain are hallmarks

plaques/tangles cause

synaptic and neuronal call death by blocking communication amoung nerve cells disruptioing processes that neuron depend on for survival

area of insult will dictate

symptoms that occur

late stages muscle grow

ridged swallowing can become impaired

diagnosis of AD only be done with

100% accuracy after death by examining brain tissue during autopsy

to help determin if alzheimers dementia

the physician runs a battery of tests to examin memory loss and other thinking skills and identify any changes in behavior

it is common to run tests such as

blood/urine test to rule out other potential causes of impairment

MRI, CT, and PET (positron emision tomography) scans of the brain are to rule out

any other causes of the signs and symptoms experienced

degenerative changes typically

progress and cannot be stopped/ reversed

person with dementia commonly

present with symptoms of depression and anxiety

basic parmo tratment is to

improve symptoms slow disease progression maximize function/maintain independence

anti dementia meds supplements to

reduce inflammatory response and free radial formation and psychiatric meds

vitamin E

not FDA approved but can slow dieases progression antioxidant, function to maintain neurological intergrety

physchiatric medications

• target behavior problems

• antidepressants for mood

exercise limitations

• increase risk of falls and fractures

• impairments of ADL

• medications used can affect balance and coordination

• exercise training has been shown to improve physical functions, increase cardiorespiratory fitness, and slow or reverse diability in basic ADL

low intesiry exercise that is

pleasable and easily accomplished

simple exercise with a

high degree of repetition and familiarity

exericses that target

leg strength balance and range of motion are important

minimize the loss of BLANK and reduce

muscle mass; risk for falls

dance is

highly recommeneded in alzheimers patients due to the high repetition of movement