Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia in people ages 65 and older. The tell tale signs of Alzheimer's can be identified in three different situations. First, plaques, or beta-amyloid, accumulates and creates adherent clusters of plaque between neurons in the brain. High levels of beta-amyloid result in low levels of acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter essential for memory and learning and preventing onsets of dementia. The Second sign of Alzheimer's is the formation of tangles. Tangles are the damaged remains of macrotubules. Without properly functioning macrotubules, nutrients can no longer flow and supply neurons, leading to the death of vital brain neurons. The final sign of Alzheimer's is the loss of nerve cell connections. Both the tangles and plaques work together to disrupt the connections between neurons, leading to permanent neuron loss and shrinking of the brain tissue (Simon 2014).
Doctors and scientist have a better understanding of how Alzheimer's and other dementia diseases evolve. As of now, leading health professionals have determined that Alzheimer's can be broken down into three stages. The first stage is classified as the Preclinical stage, meaning that brain disruption is occurring but the symptoms are not yet present. The second stage, Mild Cognitive Impairment, can be described as noticing memory problems, but not having enough memory problems to interfere with a person's livelihood. The third stage, or Alzheimer's Dementia, is the stage in which the symptoms can be considered mild or severe, and the patient can no longer live safely by himself or herself (Simon 2014).
Epidemiologic research has concluded that people of the age of sixty-five and older are at the greatest risk for developing Alzheimer's. Currently in America, according to a national sample, Alzheimer's has a prevalence of 9.7% among people older then seventy years. This prevalence rate of 9.
