Alzheimer's Cases Misdiagnosed Summary

The article titled “Half of Alzheimer 's cases misdiagnosed” made it evidently clear that Alzheimer’s disease is a disease we have yet to fully understand or treat. Not only is there a lack of information about this disease, it is common for the similar side effects of dementia to be confused with Alzheimer’s disease. To clarify what dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is, I will provide an authentic definition of each. To begin, I will state that there are different forms of dementia. According to a site that specializes in providing information about dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, states that “Dementia is a general term for loss of memory and other mental abilities severe enough to interfere with daily life. It is caused by physical changes in the brain.” (Alzheimer’s Association) Whereas Alzheimer’s is a “Type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior.” (Alzheimer’s Association) Generally speaking, one could imagine

With Alzheimer’s being the “6th leading cause of death in the United States” and deaths from Alzheimer’s disease increasing by 89% - Why is this still an issue? (Alzheimer’s Association) My educated guess would be that if you or no one you personally know has been impacted by any form of dementia, you are unlikely to be concerned about what the difference of the two are. Even when a person attends college, if their major does not require courses, such as Brain and Behavior, they are unlikely to be educated on these terms. To test my hypothesis, I questioned a few of my family members and friends about what they knew about dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. To my surprise, it was difficult for all of those that I questioned to give me a clear response. It should be known that those who I questioned raged in age from 22-83 years old and some had attended college or obtained a