Transcript ppt - Harlem Children Society

ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
DEREK KENYENSO
MENTOR:
DR. KAREN L. BELL
COLUMBIA PRESBYTARIAN
HOSPITAL CENTER
WHAT IS AD?
 It
is a progressive, degenerative brain
disease with gradual onset.
 Causes a steady decline in the ability to:




Remember and Learn
Think and Reason
Communicate and Respond
Live independently
 There
is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
AD STATISTICS

AD is the most common cause of
dementia among people age 65 and
older.

Approximately 4.5 million people now
have AD.

By 2050, 13.2 million older Americans
are expected to have AD if no preventive
treatments become available.
IT’S NEVER TOO SOON
DISEASE PROGRESSION
Mild AD
• Forgetfulness, word finding
• Problems with shopping, driving, hobbies
• Depression, apathy, withdrawal
• Problem solving
• Calculations
Moderate AD
• Poor recent memory, orientation, lack of insight
• Requires help with complex activities of daily living
• Wandering, getting lost
• Difficulty dressing (sequence & selection)
• Insomnia
• Delusions, agitation
Severe AD
• Very limited language
• Loss of basic skills
•Dressing, bathing, incontinence
•Eating, Walking, motor slowing
• Agitation
EARLY ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
In the earliest stages, before
symptoms can be detected with
tests, plaques and tangles begin
to form in brain areas involved
in:
,
Neurofibrillary tangles
Senile plaque
LEARNING
THINKING
AND MEMORY
AND PLANNING
MILD–TO-MODERATE
ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
More plaques & tangles
occur leading to
problems with:

Speaking and
understanding speech

Confusing with things and
people around you
SEVERE ALZHEIMERS
DISEASE
In advanced Alzheimer’s
disease, most of the
cortex is seriously
damaged and the brain
shrinks dramatically due
to widespread cell death.
 Individuals lose their
ability to communicate, to
recognize family and
loved ones and to care
for themselves.
TEN WARNING SIGNS
Memory loss
2. Difficulty doing familiar tasks
3. Problems with language
4. Disorientation to time and place
5. Poor or decreased judgment
6. Problems with abstract thinking
7. Misplacing things
8. Changes in mood or behavior
9. Changes in personality
10. Loss of initiative
1.
SYMPTOMS AND EFFECTS
TREATMENT OF AD
• Drugs used to treat mild-to-moderate AD symptoms include:
• ARICEPT (donepezil)
• EXELON (rivastigmine)
• RAZADYNE, RAZADYNE-ER (galantamine)
• An additional drug, NAMENDA (memantine), has been
approved to treat symptoms of moderate-to-severe AD.
• These drugs can help improve some patients’ abilities to carry
out activities for a while, but they do not stop or reverse AD.
RESEARCH: CLINICAL TRIALS
Drug studies:

Only way to find out if
a treatment is
effective and safe.
a)
b)
examine approved
drugs to see if they can
be used for other
diseases
look at new
experimental drugs
RESEARCH: CLINICAL TRIALS

Cholesterol-lowering
drugs called statins

Anti-inflammatory
drugs

Substances that
prevent formation of bamyloid plaques
REFERENCES
 http://www.alz.org/AboutAD/WhatIsAD.asp
 http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers
 http://www.alzinfo.org/
 http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publicat
ions/adfact.htm
 http://www.alz.org/AboutAD/WhatIsAD.asp
 http://www.alz.org/AboutAD/Warning.asp
 http://www.alz.org/AboutAD/Statistics.asp
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 Dr.
Karen L. Bell
 Evelyn Dominquez
 Ruth Tajedar
 Sarah Downs
 Alberto Connan
 Dr. Sats
 Harlem children Society
THANK YOU VERY MUCH