Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) causes memory loss, cognitive impairment, and behavioral abnormalities. As our population ages, it is the leading cause of dementia and a global public health issue. This study examines Alzheimer’s Disease from conventional and unconventional viewpoints. The in-depth examination can illuminate risk factors, prevention methods, treatments, and health inequities linked with Alzheimer’s Disease, helping to manage and reduce its impact on society.
Prominent Aspects of Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a chronic, irreversible neurological illness that causes memory loss, cognitive decline, and behavioral abnormalities. 60–80% of dementia cases start early. Minor memory lapses about recent events, people, and places initiate the illness. It progresses to severe memory loss, confusion, disorientation, mood changes, speech, swallowing, and movement problems. AD may be caused by genetic, behavioral, and environmental variables influencing the brain over time. Brain amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles impede neuronal function and trigger cell death in AD. Patient history, physical and neurological exams, cognitive tests, and ruling out other dementia causes are used to diagnose AD. MRI and PET scans can detect brain atrophy and amyloid buildup. Although AD has no cure, medications like cholinesterase inhibitors, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists, and lifestyle changes like physical activity, a healthy diet, cognitive stimulation, and social engagement can slow symptom progression and improve quality of life.
Current Data and Statistics Related to Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) has emerged as a significant global health concern, affecting approximately 55 million people, accounting for 60-70% of dementia cases as of 2023 (World Health Organization, 2023). Given the rising life expectancy, it is projected that by 2050, the number of individuals with AD in the US will more than double the 6.2 million cases recorded in 2020 (Alzheimer’s Association, 2023). As the 6th leading cause of death nationally and 7th for those over 65, the actual mortality rate of AD is likely higher due to underreporting on death certificates. Significant health disparities exist with AD.
Health Disparities Related to Alzheimer’s Disease
Socioeconomic Disparities
Socioeconomic status affects AD incidence and consequences. Low education, income, and occupational complexity increase AD risk. These discrepancies may be attributed to inadequate access to adequate healthcare, higher exposure to environmental contaminants, and higher incidence of lifestyle-related risk factors like poor nutrition (Beydoun et al., 2022), physical inactivity, and smoking. Financial constraints and a lack of social support make controlling the disease harder for low-income people.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities
AD has severe racial and ethnic differences. African-Americans and Hispanics in the US are more likely than whites to get Alzheimer’s and other dementias (Beydoun et al., 2022). These inequities are caused by genetics, cardiovascular disease, and healthcare access barriers. However, these differences require more exploration.
Gender Disparities
Women suffer more from Alzheimer’s. Women are more likely than males to develop Alzheimer’s at every age. Since age is the most significant risk factor for AD, some experts think women’s longevity may explain this gender gap (Beydoun et al., 2022). However, a new study reveals that hormone oscillations and genetic variances may contribute to women’s greater AD rate.
Prevention Strategies, including Complementary and Alternative Health Therapies
Lifestyle Modifications
Lifestyle changes prevent AD. Physical activity, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains, proper sleep (Alzheimer’s Association, 2023), and avoiding smoking and alcohol can dramatically lessen AD risk. Reading, puzzles, and learning new skills can help maintain brain function, as can social interaction.
Complementary Therapies
Complementary therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) varies in effectiveness. Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin E, and curcumin have mixed efficacy in reducing AD progression and should be taken under medical supervision (World Health Organization, 2023). Memory, reasoning, and processing speed training may prevent cognitive decline and promote brain health. Yoga, tai chi, and mindfulness meditation may reduce stress and improve cognition, but further research is needed.
Alternative Health Therapies
Alternative therapies like Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and homeopathy are sometimes used for AD management (Tao et al., 2022). Ayurveda recommends dietary changes, herbal remedies, and mind-body activities, while TCM explores acupuncture and herbal medicine, though both need more clinical validation. Homeopathy is also utilized despite a lack of scientific support for AD treatment.
Contemporary Research and Clinical Studies Related to Alzheimer’s Disease
Pharmacological Research
Pharmacological research on Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is broad and focuses on creating medications to change the disease process rather than treating symptoms. Drugs that diminish amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (Zhang et al., 2023), two hallmarks of AD disease, are under study. Inflammation and oxidative stress, considered to cause AD, are also being studied.
Non-pharmacological Research
Lifestyle therapies may postpone or prevent AD in non-pharmacological research. Diet, sleep quality, cognitive training, and exercise are examples. The Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER) (Barvy, 2022) examines how a multi-domain lifestyle intervention affects cognitive decline.
Emerging Treatments
Deep brain stimulation, like Parkinson’s Disease therapies, is an emerging AD treatment (Li et al., 2022). Regenerative medicine methods, including stem cell therapy, are being investigated for brain cell repair. Precision medicine, which targets genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that affect AD progression, is also receiving attention in studies. These investigational medicines need more research to prove their efficacy and safety.
Pathophysiologic Effects of Stress Related to Alzheimer’s Disease
Chronic stress can cause AD-related pathophysiological consequences. It releases cortisol and other stress hormones, which cause inflammation and oxidative stress, damaging neurons and disrupting brain connection, causing cognitive deterioration over time. Stress may worsen AD (Jurcău et al., 2022). High cortisol levels can overproduce amyloid-beta proteins, which form AD’s amyloid plaques. Chronic stress may cause hippocampus atrophy, affecting AD’s memory and learning. It may also damage the immune system, affecting the brain’s amyloid plaque clearance (Jurcău et al., 2022). Neurodegeneration, or neuron loss, is also linked to prolonged stress. Long-term stress hormone exposure accelerates neurodegenerative processes and cognitive deterioration in situations like AD. Thus, stress management may prevent or slow AD.
Conclusion
In conclusion, AD’s rising prevalence, mortality, and health inequities make it a significant public health issue. Understanding AD, a complex neurodegenerative disorder, involves standard medical viewpoints and alternative and complementary therapy. Lifestyle changes, mind-body therapies, nutritional supplements, and traditional medicine may help. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies are in development. Effective stress management may prevent or reduce AD due to its complex relationship with stress. This broad viewpoint improves our ability to treat this complex condition.
References
Alzheimer’s Association. (2023). 2023 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 19(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.13016
Barvy, Anthony. A. (2022). Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability. American College of Cardiology. https://www.acc.org/Latest-in-Cardiology/Clinical-Trials/2022/01/31/14/58/FINGER
Beydoun, M. A., Beydoun, H. A., Banerjee, S., Weiss, J., Evans, M. K., & Zonderman, A. B. (2022). Pathways explaining racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in incident all-cause dementia among older US adults across income groups. Translational Psychiatry, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-022-02243-y
Jurcău, M. C., Andronie-Cioara, F. L., Jurcău, A., Marcu, F., Ţiț, D. M., Pașcalău, N., & Nistor-Cseppentö, D. C. (2022). The Link between Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Neuroinflammation in the Pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s Disease: Therapeutic Implications and Future Perspectives. Antioxidants, 11(11), 2167. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11112167
Li, R., Zhang, C., Rao, Y., & Yuan, T.-F. (2022). Deep brain stimulation of fornix for memory improvement in Alzheimer’s disease: A critical review. Ageing Research Reviews, 79, 101668. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2022.101668
Tao, P., Xu, W., Gu, S., Shi, H., Wang, Q., & Xu, Y. (2022). Traditional Chinese medicine promotes the control and treatment of dementia. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 13, 1015966.
World Health Organization. (2023, March 15). Dementia. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia
Xu, L., Liu, R., Qin, Y., & Wang, T. (2023). Brain metabolism in Alzheimer’s disease: biological mechanisms of exercise. 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40035-023-00364-y
Zhang, Y., Chen, H., Li, R., Sterling, K., & Song, W. (2023). Amyloid β-based therapy for Alzheimer’s disease: challenges, successes, and future. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 8(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-023-01484-7
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