It is clear that there is no known
cure for Alzheimer's which explains why researchers have moved from finding its
cure to merely detecting who gets it and who doesn’t. It is the dream of any
visionary neurosurgeon to find cure to diseases of the brain which explains why
they carry out clinical surgical trials in that attempt. CNN's Elizabeth Cowen
reports of a recent discovery by researchers in America that reveals that
through a blood test, one can know if they are susceptible to get the disease.
How? Through a blood test with a focus on lipid levels with the conclusions
being drawn on how high or low they are. The simple test points that the test
is 90% accurate with individuals with low levels of blood lipids being at more
risk to develop Alzheimer's. Dr. Howard Federror, says the research is not
fully conclusive thus the need for further experiments on the disease and its
prediction.
Geon mapping has also rocked the health industry, gotten the
attention of every diagnosticians worldwide and presents a glimmer of hope in
addressing Alzheimer's. It strives to offer a predictive path of the disease by
identifying the particular genes that offer a pattern of sorts of how the
disease will develop thus attempt to prevent those genes progressing or
completely destroying them from causing Alzheimer's. BBC's February coverage on
Geon mapping revealed conflicting views on whether people prefer knowing what
diseases await them in the future or would rather live in the moment and not
know with regards to diseases like cancer. One of the individuals interviewed
opted to do a complete removal of their breasts after being potentially
identified as being at a risk of developing breast cancer. The fear here being
that most people would rather not know that they will get Alzheimer's later in
their life thus would rather live in the unknown.
Alzheimer's is a form of progressive dementia that starts in
the 40s or 50s associated with first symptoms being an impaired memory followed
by loss of concentration then impaired thought and speech and finally complete
helplessness. Other symptoms involve seizures, difficulty in doing ordinary
things like eating and generally getting through the day on their own, void of
accidents. The key causal factors is genetics but that does little to explain
what causes the disease to develop. Is it a gene mutation? A pointer to poor
brain development during childhood? These are among the many questions that
researchers are still trying to answer in an attempt to find a cure or a
temporary solution at that.
Closely linked to other dementia health complications like
Huntington's disease and other forms of dementia, Alzheimer’s continues to
cause researcher’s sleepless nights as being mysterious. Most people diagnosed
with Alzheimer's are usually in complete denial as it's hard to admit that it
is a degenerative disease that eats away the brain. The discrimination attached
to mental illness per say also makes people shun seeking medical attention and
telling their loved ones.
In better understanding of the disease, award winning
medical dramas like Greys Anatomy (season 7) have been instrumental in
highlighted how grave the disease is and how much toll it puts on an individual
and close family and friends that watch their loved ones slowly disappear and
lose their identity. Most patients tend to forget their names, completely have
no idea they are married or have other family members like brothers and
sisters, tend to be violent over time and go on to create new memories with
newer persons at the expense of the people currently in their lives.
Individuals with Alzheimer's need around the clock care, attention and support
first in accepting the onset of the disease, coming to terms with it and
managing it.
On Alzheimer's Grey's
Anatomy Meredith Grey intellectually quotes:" one asks for people to love
and the universe gives you just that then you watch them slip away like water
through your fingers".
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