Modterms_Alzeimer’s disease

Question 1

It is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest tasks.

Answer 1

ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Question 2

is the most common form of dementia.It was first described by German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906.

Answer 2

ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Question 3

Etiology

Answer 3

Genetic = inheritance of the ε4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (APOE ε4)
- Cholinergic hypothesis = by reduced synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine
- Amyloid hypothesis = that extracellular beta-amyloid (Aβ) deposits are the fundamental cause of the disease

Question 4

TEN WARNING SIGNS

Answer 4

1. Memory loss
2. Difficulty performing familiar tasks
3. Problems with language
4. Disorientation to time and place
5. Poor or decreased judgment
6. Problems with abstract thinking
7. Misplacing things
8. Changes in mood or behaviour
9. Changes in personality
10. Loss of initiative

Question 5

S/sx
Pre-dementia

Answer 5

• -
  recent memory loss, increased irritability,
• impaired judgment,
• loss of interest in life,
• decline of problem-solving ability, and
• reduction in abstract thinking.
• Remote memory and neurological exam
• remain unchanged from baseline.

Question 6

Early S/Sx

Answer 6

lasts for 2 to 4 years
- decline in the patient’s ability to manage
personal and business affairs,
- inability to remember shapes of objects,
- continued repetition of a meaningless
word or phrase (perseveration),
- wandering or circular speech patterns
(circumlocution dysphasia),
- wandering at night,
- restlessness, depression, anxiety, and
intensification of cognitive and emotional
changes

Question 7

MODERATE S/Sx

Answer 7

impaired ability to speak (aphasia),
- inability to recognize familiar objects
(agnosia),
- inability to use objects properly
(apraxia),
- inattention, distractibility,
- involuntary emotional outbursts,
- urinary or fecal incontinence,
- lint-picking motion, and
- chewing movements.

Question 8

ADVANCED S/Sx

Answer 8

• mask like facial expression,
• no communication,
• apathy, withdrawal,
• eventual immobility,
• assumed fetal position,
• no appetite, and emaciation.

Question 9

TREATMENTS- Meds

Answer 9

Maintain Mental Function with drugs that regulate neurotransmitters
- Donepezil (Aricept®),
- rivastigmine (Exelon®),
- galantamine (Razadyne®)
- Memantine (Namenda®)

Question 10

Nursing Diagnosis

Answer 10

Self-care deficit related to impaired cognitive and motor function.
B. Risk for Injury related to:
- Inability to recognize / identify hazards
in the environment.
- Disorientation, confusion, impaired
decision making.
- Weakness,
- muscles that are not coordinated,
- presence of seizure activity.
C. Disturbed Thought Process
D. Chronic Confusion
E. Impaired Verbal Communication