The Forgotten Issue Of Alzheimer's Disease

The Forgotten Issue of Alzheimer’s Disease
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, in 2007, in the United States more than 5 million people were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease ("Alzheimer's Disease"). Researchers call Alzheimer’s Disease a “progressive degenerative disorder of the brain” ("Alzheimer's Disease"). Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common form of dementia and a major cause of senile dementia (Xing, et al.). While recognizing the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease is important, it is also important to realize that men and women react differently to the disease.
First off, Alzheimer’s is an “irreversible memory disorder,” catching the signs early of Alzheimer’s Disease can help scientists to slow down the progression

of the disease (Rosen). Alzheimer’s Disease typically begins to reveal itself through short-term memory. Symptoms may include impairment of a victim’s logic reasoning and thinking ability. An Alzheimer’s sufferer may have changes in behavior. He or she may have changes in personality as well ("Alzheimer's Disease"). Specifically men may be affected in this way.
Second, men react differently than women to the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease. When a male is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s he is more likely to experience more feelings of fear, panic, and uneasiness. A male patient with Alzheimer’s is more common to exhibit lack of interest in daily activities. Not only does Alzheimer’s Disease affect the way male sufferer’s actions it also affects their treatment. A male suffering with Alzheimer’s is more likely to receive “antipsychotic medications” (Xing et al.). Women, though, may react differently to the effects of the disease.
Third, women’s reaction to Alzheimer’s is more perceptional. Women with Alzheimer’s Disease are more common to experience delusions, or believing they are seeing things that are not actually there. Another thing women with Alzheimer’s Disease experience is depression. Women also have appetite abnormalities (Xing, et al.). This disease attacks different genders in different ways and has an abundance of effects on both.
In conclusion, while recognizing the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease is important, it is also important to realize that men and women react differently to the disease. Alzheimer’s Disease has a diverse set of effects that range from fear and panic within men, to delusions within women (Xing, et al.). Though the effects may be different by gender, they are still both extremely scary and important to get taken care of. Alzheimer’s is not a disease that can be forgotten about.

Works Cited
"Alzheimer's Disease." Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia (2016):
1p. 1. Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.
Rosen, Meghan. "Alzheimer's May Affect Young Brains." Science
News 188.11 (2015): 8. Middle Search Plus. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.
Xing, Yi, Yi Tang, and Jianping Jia. "Sex Differences In Neuropsychiatric
Symptoms Of Alzheimer’s Disease: The Modifying Effect Of
Apolipoprotein E Ε4 Status." Behavioural Neurology 2015.(2015): 1-6. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.