Alzheimer's Disease

Welcome to PT 635 Pathophysiology of Complex Patient Problems This is a wiki created by and for the students in the School of Physical Therapy at Bellarmine University in Louisville KY. Please do not edit unless you are involved in this project, but please come back in the near future to check out new information!!

Original Editors - Students from Bellarmine University's Pathophysiology of Complex Patient Problems project.

Lead Editors - Your name will be added here if you are a lead editor on this page.  Read more.

Definition/Description

Alzheimer's Disease is characterized by cortical atrophy and loss of neurons, particularly in the parietal and temporal lobes. Also with loss of brain mass there is an enlargement of the ventricals of the brain.² The changes in the brain tissue slowly cause changes in the person. Often it results in Alzheimer's dementia, however some people progress differently.

Prevalence

Approximately 4 - 4.5 million people have Alzheimer's Disease in the United States and about 8 million affected around the world. It is expected that by 2050 that number will have increased almost three fold to around 13.2 million.

Characteristics/Clinical Presentation

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Associated Co-morbidities

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Medications

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Diagnostic Tests/Lab Tests/Lab Values

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Causes

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Systemic Involvement

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Medical Management (current best evidence)

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Physical Therapy Management (current best evidence)

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Alternative/Holistic Management (current best evidence)

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Differential Diagnosis

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Case Reports

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Recent Related Research (from Pubmed)

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http://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/erss.cgi?rss_guid=1xONNp6hzwmbFtho8j3NkZprYu6eCHOfsB1HYiGUxIrEvzXs3W

References

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1. Goodman C, Fuller K. Pathology Implications for the Physical Therapist. St. Louis, Missouri: Saunders Elsevier; 2009.

2. Porth C. Pathopysiology Concepts of Altered Health States. Philadelphia PA: Lippincott & Wilkins; 2005.

3. Goodman C, Snyder T. Differential Diagnosis for Physical Therapists Screening for Referal. St. Louis, Missouri: Saunders Elsevier; 2007.

4. Alzheimer's Association. 2010. Available at: http://www.alz.org/index.asp . Accessed March 1, 2010.

5. Alzheimer's Disease Fact Sheet. U.S. National Institutes of Health National Institute on Aging. 2010. Available at: http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications/adfact.htm . Accessed March 1, 2010.