Cognitive Disorders And Its Effects On The Brain
Cognitive disorders involve problems in memory, orientation, level of consciousness, and other
cognitive functions (Huang et al., 2015) . These difficulties are due to abnormalities in neural
chemistry, structure or physiology originating in the brain or secondary to systemic illness (Huang et
al.). Patients with cognitive disorders may show psychiatric symptoms secondary to the cognitive
problems, such as depression, anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations and delusions and impaired motor
function(Huang et al.). One of the major cognitive disorders is dementia, which results from impaired
cognition, due to damage to the brain. Dementia is an umbrella that describes a wide range of
symptoms associated with a decline in memory and other cognitive ... Show more content on
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As the US population ages, Alzheimer s has increased significantly (71%) (AA, 2016). In 2013, there
was over 84,000 deaths from AD in the U.S, however in 2016 the mortality rate doubled to 700,000
(AA, 2016). Among people age 70, 61% of those with AD are expected to die before the age of 80
compared with 30% of people without Alzheimer s (AA, 2016). Most common risk factor for
Alzheimer s disease is age, however additional risk factors include gender (women) and genetic and
biological contributions. An estimated 3.2 million women aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer
s. Among those aged 71 and older, 16 percent of women have Alzheimer s compared with 11 percent
of men (AA, 2016).
The abilities and interest of someone with dementia will change over time. There have been increasing
reports of non cognitive symptoms, including loss of motor function in older persons diagnosed with
Alzheimer s. It is estimated that up to 50% of older persons may have some elements of motor
impairments by the age of 80 years, however this would suggest that it would be even a greater
percentage for people living with dementia (AA, 2016). Motor impairment can include reduced gait
speed, loss of muscle strength and bulk, and reduced balance, as well as dexterity (AA, 2016). Loss of
muscle strength and bulk is common in Alzheimer s patients and is recognized as a prominent feature
in older individuals. Morphologic studies
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