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Molly Thompson

Professor Barnes

ENG.1201.517

24 March 2019

Alzheimer’s Disease On The Rise

When you think of Alzheimer’s Disease, you think of someone of old age who

has a bad memory. In reality, it is that, but so much more. Alzheimer’s Disease is

defined as this: progressive mental deterioration that can occur in middle or old age,

due to generalized degeneration of the brain. But what is causing this degeneration of

the brain, and where did Alzheimer’s originate from? Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German

physician, was the first to date the disease back to 1906 as its first case. In this case, a

51 year old woman had a rare brain disorder that identified plaques and tangles in the

brain causing severe long term and short term memory loss. This disease was later

named Alzheimer’s Disease after Dr. Alois Alzheimer and his discovery. The cause of

these plaques and tangles is rapid cell death, which is the largest factor is the rise of

Alzheimer’s. But what is truly causing this rapid cell death, and why is affecting more

and more people every year? Not only is cell death through age the biggest factor of

this disease, but we need to focus in on what activities we are doing today to increase

the popularity of Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s affects 5.7 million people from studies in 2018. It is estimated that

5.5 million of the 5.7 million are of the age 65 or older, and approximately 200,000

people are under the age of 65 and have what is called younger onset Alzheimer’s. In
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the year of 2019, studies have shown that about one in ten people, or ten percent, that

are 65 or older are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. These rates have increased

more and more every year. The rise of such a disease is the first problem. Alzheimer’s

isn’t only a disease that affects one person, but it affects the family, friends, and loved

ones of that person. Almost every person in the world knows someone who has

Alzheimer’s because of how common it is nowadays. The question that comes along

with that is: why is it on the rise?

From the opposing side, a study from the Alzheimer’s Association in 2018 states

that the increase of Alzheimer’s disease in our time is due to the baby boomer

generation reaching “their senior years and increased longevity.” The Alzheimer

Associated stated: “The number of Americans surviving into their 80s, 90s, and beyond

is expected to grow dramatically due to medical advances, as well as social and

environmental conditions… As the number of older Americans grows rapidly, so too will

the numbers of new and existing cases of Alzheimer’s Disease.” The Alzheimer’s

Association is stating that a rise of the disease is strictly due to an increase in

population in each generation over the years. The baby boomer generation is reaching

the ages of 65 and older, which is the age that Alzheimer’s risks become more possible.

Although that this is a very well put together argument, the rise of this disease is not

strictly due to increase of population. A large population obviously will create more

cases, but will not be the only reason the disease is still happening and why it is being

caused. It answers the question of why it is on the rise, but it doesn’t answer the

question of what we are doing or have been doing to still keep this disease alive and still
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staying strong now. If the first case was in 1906, what have we been doing since then

that still keeps Alzheimer’s Disease winning?

According to Rodrigo A. Cunha’s study over mental health, some possible factors

of Alzheimer’s are psychiatric disorders as well as the caffeine intake that has been

increasing greatly in the population, especially those of young age. Along with caffeine,

the study included nicotine from cigarette use as a common trigger to the brain to kill

important cells. This would make sense to our current rise of Alzheimer’s Disease

mostly being those of age 65 or older because of how common smoking cigarettes were

at a young age back then.

The intake of caffeine has had an remarkable increase throughout this century to

the point where people are getting addicted through coffee, tea, or caffeinated sodas
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and have to include drinking it at least once in their daily routine to give them energy.

Many people have had so much of a caffeinated beverage that the caffeination no

longer affects them, and it’s just pure addiction. Because of how much caffeinated food

and drink items have been majorly popular mostly in the past few generations, this has

left a major impact on one’s body to the point where it is damaging parts of it, especially

the brain. You can get headaches and your brain cells struggle to focus on a certain

task or to remember to do something without its source of caffeine. This damages

important brain cells daily.

Using cigarettes has definitely decreased nowadays because of e-cigarettes, but

for the current generation that is fighting Alzheimer’s disease was a generation who

smoked constantly. When you think of damage of smoking, you think lung cancer and

not being able to breathe easily. That is true, but it’s not the only place being impacted.

Another big part is your brain; your brain is addicted to the nicotine provided in

cigarettes. This is causing brain damage as well, which can later lead to memory loss

and a shorter lifespan.

The major symptom of Alzheimer’s Disease is memory loss, which is what

people typically think as dementia. Alzheimer’s forms from dementia at its worst case.

Other symptoms include problems with thinking and reasoning, an issue with making

decisions, and trouble performing familiar tasks. There is a change in your personality

and behavior, and your mood swings will increase greatly. Alzheimer’s can cause

depression, apathy, distrust in others, irritability, delusions, and even changes in your

eating and sleeping habits. These symptoms not only affect you, but they affect the
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people around you. “The exact causes of Alzheimer’s Disease aren’t fully understood,

but at its core are problems with brain proteins that fail to function normally, disrupt the

work of brain cells (neurons) and unleash a series of toxic events. Neurons are

damaged, lose connections to each other and eventually die.” (Mayo Clinic)

Another large problem that comes along with Alzheimer’s Disease is that it

shortens your lifespan. Due to the damage of brain cells, the disease is progressive and

abnormal protein deposits form and build up in the affected brain. Many Alzheimer’s

patients spend a lot of time sitting and resting in bed, which increases the risk of blood

clots to form. The clots can be fatal and later lead to death sooner than anyone would

want for himself/herself. With the disease, you become more open to catching illnesses

that weaken your immune system and with both of those factors, it can eventually lead

to a slow death. It is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, and the death

rate of Alzheimer’s has increased 55% from 1999 to 2017.

A study from 2014 that was introduced on the New York Times is about the high

mortality rates from Alzheimer’s. It was led by researchers at the Rush University

Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. It was published in “Neurology,” the medical journal.

The researchers went through and examined data from over 2,500 people that are of

the age 65 or older who did not have dementia at the beginning of their Alzheimer’s

Disease, and after they died, they donated their brains for autopsies for future studies.

“Over an average of eight years of follow up, 22 percent developed Alzheimer’s

Disease, 1 percent developed other forms of dementia, and 42 percent died. The death

rate was much higher among those who had developed Alzheimer’s than among those
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who had not. Extrapolating their findings to the entire population, the researchers came

up with what they call a ‘crude’ estimate that more than 500,000 deaths of Americans

ages 75 and older in 2010 could be attributed to Alzheimer’s.” (New York Times)

Though this study took place in 2010, it still shows how the death rates will do nothing

but increase, and it is something that we all need to look for.

To stop these constantly increasing death rates, we need to look for areas and

solutions to take part in. There will obviously not be a pure solution to Alzheimer’s

because it is mostly a natural disease, but everything can be helped. There must be

more causes to Alzheimer’s Disease rather than being of old age. There is a reason the

brain cells are dying so fast and so much, and it is important to face this issue early-on

before it impacts more and more people every year to the point where it is too late.

“Healthy lifestyle changes may be beneficial for cognition in older at-risk individuals

even in the presence of APOE-related genetic susceptibility to dementia.” (Journal

Articles) This quote is stated how important maintaining a healthy lifestyle is. This isn’t

just what you eat or how you look physically, it also includes mentally. The two aspects

are tied together through their conclusions: “We conclude that improvements in diet in

old age appear beneficial especially for executive function. The clear protective effect of

healthy baseline diet for the subsequent changes in cognition underlines the importance

of a healthy diet throughout life. Other studies clarifying the role of both long-term diet

and dietary changes in older age would be of utmost importance.”

Also noted in this source is the fact that Alzheimer’s Disease is not a preventable

condition. Many studies have shown this as true, and it is something you don’t argue,
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but there are many ways we can start helping the risk become lower and lower every

year. Doing this will slowly decrease the amount of the population that is affected by

Alzheimer’s. “Heart-healthy lifestyle choices that may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s

include the following: exercise regularly, eat a diet of fresh produce, healthy oils and

foods low in saturated fat, follow treatment guidelines to manage high blood pressure,

diabetes and high cholesterol, and if you smoke, ask your doctor for help to quit

smoking.” Taking actions ahead of the time to reduce risk is the only way to stop the

rising rates of Alzheimer’s. There are also many daily mental and social factors that go

along with prevention. “Studies have shown that preserved thinking skills later in life and

a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s Disease are associated with participating in social events,

reading, dancing, playing board games, creating art, playing an instrument, and other

activities that require mental and social engagement.”

Caregivers are a key influence in how smoothly everything runs in someone who

has Alzheimer’s Disease. “Caregivers must be constantly vigilant and alert to even the

smallest of changes so they can reconsider what is possible and what is safe.

Wandering is common for Alzheimer’s patients. Some may eat spoiled foods or forget if

they’ve eaten at all. They can become agitated and aggressive with seemingly little

provocation. Despite it all, most caregivers are adamant that caring for their loved is a

privilege, not a burden.” (Second Opinion) Caregivers are so important to keep the

affecting person alive and out of trouble. They help keep family and friends calm

through the hard times. Like said before, Alzheimer’s Disease not only affects the

person who has it, but it also affects family, friends, and loved ones surrounded that
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person. Advice for future caregivers from one caregiver themself is as follows: “Take

care of yourself. Think about those pre-flight, in-case-of-emergency instructions that

coach you to place the oxygen mask over your face first so you’ll be capable of helping

others. Ask for help. Surround yourself with support systems like family, friends, support

groups, and health care professionals. Focus on what your loved one can do and

accept what they cannot. Try to keep your environment as calm and consistent as

possible. Build physical activity into the day for both you and the loved one you are

caring for. Making sure there is a plan in place in case you get sick. Find a doctor who is

supportive. Begin to plan for your own future. Caregiving can be all-consuming; when it

is over you will often need to redefine your purpose in life.” Seeing a caregiver’s point of

view of the daily types of things they go through and sometimes struggle can help you

notice that keeping this disease from affecting more and more people.

Tying all of this information together, you have learned that Alzheimer’s Disease

is a common brain disease that affects the memory. One in ten people of age 65 or

older (10 percent) has Alzheimer’s. Almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s are

women, and African Americans are about twice as likely to have the disease or other

forms of dementia as whites, and Hispanics are about one and a half times as likely to

have Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia as whites. Everyone around you has a risk

of getting Alzheimer’s, and the time to start out actions to end the rise of this disease is

now, in this moment.

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Working Bibliography

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www.alzheimers.net/alzheimers-is-on-the-rise-in-these-states/​.

“Alzheimer's Disease: A Caregiver's Journey Share This:” ​Alzheimer's Disease: A

Caregiver's Journey | Second Opinion,

www.secondopinion-tv.org/episode/alzheimers-disease-caregivers-journey​.

Alzheimer’s. “Journal Articles.” ​Alzheimer's Prevention,​ Alzheimer's Prevention, 11 Feb.

2019, alzheimersprevention.org/research/journal-articles/.

“Alzheimer's Disease.” ​Mayo Clinic,​ Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and

Research, 8

Dec.2018,​www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/symptom

s-causes​/syc-20350447.

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2015.​http://sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.a

spx?dir​ect=true&db=cat01128a&AN=scc.b1830711&site=eds-live.
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Bond-Nelms, Cheryl. “Alzheimer's Is Accelerating Across the U.S.” ​AARP​, 17 Nov.

2017,​www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2017/alzheimers-rates-rise-

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Bredesen, Dale E., and Joe LeMonnier. ​The End of Alzheimer's: the First Program to

Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline​. Thorndike Press, A Part of Gale, a

Cengage Company,2018.

“Opinion | High Mortality From Alzheimer's Disease.” ​The New York Times -

Breaking News, World News & Multimedia​, The New York Times, 20 Dec. 2017,

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Perry, George, and IOS Press. ​Alzheimer’s Disease: Advances for a New Century.​ IOS

Press,2013.​EBSCOhost​,sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=​https://search.ebscohos

t.com/login.as​px?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=578852&site=eds-live.

Thompson, Gary. Personal Interview. March 2019.

Watkins, Diana B. ​Alzheimer’s Disease : A Caregivers Guide.​ Nova Science Publishers,

Inc,2014.​EBSCOhost​,sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=​https://search.ebscohost.c

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“Welcome to Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.” ​Caffeine, Mental Health, and Psychiatric

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Disorders | Journal of Alzheimer's Disease,​ 2017, www.j-alz.com/.