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Alzheimer 's Disease : A Disease

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Amanda Kruse Mr. Brimhall CTEC-CNA PM November 10, 2015 Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s is a disease in the brain that affects a person’s memory, thinking, and behavior. It is the most common form of dementia and is common in adults older than 65. More than five million Americans are being affected by Alzheimer’s at this moment. Alzheimer’s comes in three stages; early, middle, and advanced. The disease is caused by the shrinking of the brain due to many risk factors and genetics. Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are often confused because of the similarities and mysteriousness that they share. According to the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the are actually very different in many ways. Dementia is term used to describe a disorder that impairs the mental processing of thoughts and memory. Other forms of dementia besides Alzheimer’s are Huntington’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Alzheimer’s Disease is a form of dementia and is the most common, from 60-70% of all dementia cases. To determine cause of dementia, doctors will use different mental evaluations, brain scans, and blood tests. Alzheimer’s is diagnosed through the evidence that the brain scans provide. One significant difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia is the fact that Alzheimer’s is a nonreversible disease. Some forms of dementia are temporary or reversible but Alzheimer’s has no cure and is degenerative. The number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s

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