Nasaba Magnona Rawan

Instructor Ankita Banerjee

Language and Composition
6th November 2021
Cause and effect essay: Draft 1

Physical etiology of Alzheimer’s wreaking havoc worldwide

Have you ever ruminated on how it feels like to introduce yourself to your loved ones persistently
as their ability to remember you are robbed? Yes, that feels certainly heartbreaking and distressing.
Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet for this agonizing and hazardous disorder; accordingly, we should
be acquainted with the origins of this disease in order to reduce its severity and preponderance. According
to National Health Service (n.d.), Alzheimer’s disease is an intensifying condition in which proteins such
as amyloid-beta are formed far and wide on the brain, Subsequently, ensuing in severe loss of memory
and other cognitive difficulties due to disruption communication of neurons ( responsible for transmitting
signals to other organs and muscles) inside the brain. Currently, 6.2 million Americans aged 65 or older
are living with Alzheimer’s dementia today and perhaps, the number will increase to 13.8 million by 2050
as it became the world’s most anticipated cause of death and there were notably 121,499 deaths due to
Alzheimer’s in 2019 (National Center for Biotechnology Information [NCBI], 2021). Furthermore,
besides memory loss, Unpredictable behavior, language problem, difficulty speaking, and reduction in
brain size are some of the extreme consequences of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer's disease is becoming
more geographically widespread due to a variety of variables including cardiovascular illness, traumatic
brain injury, inherited genetic mutations, and biological variables.
There are multiple factors implicated in cardiovascular disease, which is one of the paramount causes
of Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, vascular damage is known as the condition in which blood vessels
that are responsible for circulating blood in and out of the heart, function abnormally due to the build-up
of amyloid (protein) inside blood vessels disrupting blood flow to the brain and other organs. Moreover,
the grey matter inside the brain requisites adequate blood flow as the brain also requires the right amount
of nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, amino acids, and oxygen for the proper functioning and
well-being of brain cells. Additionally, when at rest, 15–20% of the circulated blood is received by the
brain of healthy adults (Xing et al., 2017) so this provides the brain sufficient energy to remember and
think properly. Howbeit, a person fighting Alzheimer’s disease will receive an inadequate and slower
blood flow, thus damaging the neurons inside the brain, consequently, destroying the connection between
neurons, causing the brain to shrink and remarkably decrease in volume of the brain (National Institute
On Aging [NIA], n.d.). In addition to that, Higher blood pressure otherwise called hypertension is a
condition in which blood pushes walls of blood vessels with a higher force when pumped out of the heart,
henceforth, increasing the pressure at which blood flows (American heart society, n.d). Additionally,
normal blood pressure is considered to be 120 or lower and it is considered high if the pressure reaches
above 130, furthermore, more than 1 million Americans are suffering from high blood pressure (Food and
drug association [FDA], 2021). Thereupon, hypertension can cause lower blood supply as the heart
muscles will thicken due to the increase in pressure and form tangles of twisted protein strands and
damage blood vessels in the brain which can develop mild cognitive impairment, resulting in Alzheimer’s
disease. Both vascular damage and hypertension are results of obesity, unhealthy lifestyle choices, lack of
physical activity, and stress. Thus, treating high blood pressure and vascular damage can increase blood
circulation and dwindle the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Another major aspect that must come into consideration when talking about Alzheimer’s disease is
a traumatic brain injury. Nonetheless, traumatic brain injury can occur if a person falls, is hit by an object
or a car, or has a variety of bullet wounds that penetrate the skull. Alzheimer’s Association (n.d.), reported
that one of the key studies showing an increased risk found that older adults with a history of moderate
traumatic brain injury had a 2.3 times greater risk of developing Alzheimer's than seniors with no history
of head injury, and those with a history of severe traumatic brain injury had a 4.5 times greater risk (paras.
12–13). According to Graff-Radford (2019), the symptoms observed instantaneously after a brain injury
are memory loss, confusion, changes in speech, vision, and personality; these symptoms are also observed
in Alzheimer's patients; however, if the symptoms do not become severe, the patient does not have
Alzheimer's. Similarly, studies have shown that traumatic brain injury, can result in insufficient energy to
the brain caused by an alteration in glucose levels in the brain which can further lead to disruption of
neuronal activity in the brain, consequently, embarking on Alzheimer’s disease (Xu et al., 2020). As
reported by Peterson (2021), there were more than 2.9 million emergency room visits, deaths, and
hospitals in 2014 in the U.S, furthermore, unintentional falls and motor vehicle crashes were the most
common causes of TBI accounting for 49.1 percent and 24.5% in 2017. Subsequently, the best way to
avoid TBI, which is one of the most significant causes of Alzheimer's, should be avoided by ensuring
unintentional falls, motor vehicle crashes, and other facets that can aftermath Alzheimer’s disease.
The family history of an individual is another major concern leading to Alzheimer’s disease
besides mutation or genetic variation. In rare circumstances, it has been discovered that genes bequeathed
from parents to offspring enhance the likelihood of acquiring Alzheimer's, if a few family members are
enduring from Alzheimer's, the genes may be transferred down through generations, however, an
individual without a first degree relative with Alzheimer’s has fewer probabilities of developing
Alzheimer’s. Furthermore, if an individual's family members have Alzheimer's, the probability of having
Alzheimer's increases by 30%, adding a 30% danger to the current risk (Alzheimer's in the family, 2019).
According to Dibattista et al. (2016), the APOE4 allele raises cholesterol levels in the brain; this allele is
present in 25% of the American population, resulting in an allele frequency (relative frequency of an
allele or gene) of 14%, which is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. Furthermore,
APOE4 is expected to enhance amyloid deposition on the brain and impair the functioning of areas of the
brain such as the medial temporal lobe (Dibattista et al., 2016). As a result, inheriting one APOE4 gene
from a family member with Alzheimer's increases the risk threefold, and acquiring two genes increases
the risk by 10 to 15 times (Alzheimer's in the family, 2019). As a result, in addition, the APOE4 gene
linked to family history can affect the anatomical properties of the brain, all of which contribute to the
risk of Alzheimer's disease. Furthermore, Alzheimer's disease can be caused by mutations (alteration of
sequences of genes due to environmental factors or family history) in genes such as Amyloid Protein
(APP) on chromosome 21, Presenilin 1 (PSEN1) on chromosome 14, and Presenilin 2 (PSEN2) on the
chromosome. Correspondingly, a study on APP and PS1 demonstrated that in patients with a mutant APP
gene, the volume of the right putamen diminished, reducing the number of fibers in the left putamen, on
the other side, patients with a mutated form of PS1 resulted in increased fiber number, Thus, mutation and
family history can significantly alter the structural features of the brain leading to a risk of developing
Alzheimer’s disease (Quan et al., 2021).
Not just the above facets, an individual’s age, and gender is remarkably engaged with Alzheimer’s
disease. Moreover, an aged brain differs substantially from a young brain; these variations are linked to
amyloid-beta 42, the major component of Alzheimer's brain plaques. Furthermore, Amyloid-beta 42 is a
protein that is released by the body as a natural by-product and is persistently removed from the brain
before it clumps together and hinders brain activity, however, in an elderly person over the age of
sixty-five, the time required to clear the amyloid-beta drastically slows down as age increases (Patterson
et al., 2015). Moreover, amyloid levels in Alzheimer’s disease patient’s brains are 100 to 1000 times
considerably greater than in the healthy individuals’ brains and people with Alzheimer’s disease had
about 30 percent slower clearance rate than an individual without Alzheimer’s disease (Clearing
amyloid-beta from the brain, 2010). Consequently, this noteworthy difference in the time required to clean
up, demonstrates how significantly age increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Nevertheless, an
individual’s gender also plays a major role in developing Alzheimer’s disease besides their age.
Nonetheless, researchers from Stanford University claimed that after a study of APOE4 on 8000 people,
women who carried the APOE4 gene (A gene that can increase the risk of Alzheimer's) were twice as
susceptible to the disease as women without the gene, whereas males were not at considerable risk of
developing the disease despite the presence of APOE4. Additionally, researchers from the University of
Carolina and Framingham claimed that women's average lifespan and deaths due to cardiovascular
diseases were twice as likely as men's (Sauer, 2019). As a result, the increased prevalence of Alzheimer's
disease in women is due to a combination of variables such as cardiovascular illness, women's longer life
expectancy than men, and the existence of the APOE 4 gene. Henceforth, to reduce the incidence of
Alzheimer's, aged females, in particular, should be more attentive to their lifestyle, eating habits, sleeping
habits, and stress levels.
Therefore, Alzheimer’s disease is sufficiently powerful and prevalent to trace the entire human
race as prolonged memory loss and other drastic effects of Alzheimer’s can lead to more deaths than any
other disease. Furthermore, in the UK in 2020, 11.5 percent of deaths were a result of Alzheimer’s, and
12.1 percent of deaths were a result of COVID 19, making Alzheimer’s the second major cause of death
after COVID 19 (The biggest killer in the UK is now COVID-19, 2019). Tragically, scientists haven't
quite discovered a magic potion that will miraculously slow the progression. As a corollary, we must be
vigilant of all the outcomes and factors of Alzheimer's in place to avert it from passing from era to era as
well as save ourselves. According to all the data and shreds of evidence available, Alzheimer's disease is
becoming the most foreseeable cause of morbidity and mortality, regardless of age. As a result, there is no
strategy for the prevention of this disease beyond being cautious and vigilant about lifestyle choices,
psychosocial factors, sleeping patterns, physical activity, and dietary behavior.
.

References:

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● Alzheimer’s in the family: Dementia affects the person diagnosed but also raises fears for siblings
and children. Here are the facts. (2019, January 28). Harvard medical school. Harvard Health
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https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/blog/research-UK-biggest-killer-high-dementia-deaths
● Clearing amyloid-beta from the brain (n.d.). Washington university school of medicine in
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● Dibattista, A.M., Heinsinger, N.M., Rebeck, G.W. (2016). Alzheimer’s Disease Genetic Risk
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