No one really wants to choose to have anything go wrong with his or her health. Diseases not only affect our health but also our every aspect of our daily life. Alzheimer’s is a common form of dementia that leads to memory loss that affects our intellectual abilities. Huntington’s disease on the other hand is a brain disorder caused by a defective gene in our chromosome. If I had a choice between the two diseases I would choose Alzheimer’s and here is my rationale for choosing this disease.
Huntington’s disease is an inherited progressive brain disorder “caused by a single defective gene on chromosome 4,” (Mayo Clinic, 2014). This leads to breakdown of our nerve cells. This condition is dominant and is easily inherited from parent to progeny …show more content…
National Library of Medicine, 2014). The symptoms consist of memory loss, which can lead to forgetfulness and difficulty speaking or expressing oneself. Symptoms get worse as you age and require 24-hour care to ensure they are safe. There is no definite treatment for AD but with medication, the symptoms can be reduced and managed. There are many risk factors associated with AD, which include age, family history of health issues and sex. The risk of having AD increases as you age. Also you tend to be at a higher risk of getting AD if you had previous family members that encountered the same disease. Females are far more prone to the disease than are men. Other risk factors according to Mayo Clinic (2014) include obesity, high cholesterol, and lack of exercise, high blood pressure and diabetes that is …show more content…
MRI is used to rule out any conditions that may influence the cognitive symptoms of AD. There is no definite treatment but medication can relieve the symptoms of memory loss and other cognitive changes. For example, the use of “Cholinesterase inhibitors improve neuropsychiatric symptoms such as agitation or depression,” (Mayo Clinic, 2014). Memantine is another well-known drug that is used to slow the progression of memory loss symptoms. Alternative to medication includes a well nutritious diet that is high in Omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin E, exercise and maintaining a safe environment around the individual with AD such as removing excess
Huntington’s disease is an inherited progressive brain disorder “caused by a single defective gene on chromosome 4,” (Mayo Clinic, 2014). This leads to breakdown of our nerve cells. This condition is dominant and is easily inherited from parent to progeny …show more content…
National Library of Medicine, 2014). The symptoms consist of memory loss, which can lead to forgetfulness and difficulty speaking or expressing oneself. Symptoms get worse as you age and require 24-hour care to ensure they are safe. There is no definite treatment for AD but with medication, the symptoms can be reduced and managed. There are many risk factors associated with AD, which include age, family history of health issues and sex. The risk of having AD increases as you age. Also you tend to be at a higher risk of getting AD if you had previous family members that encountered the same disease. Females are far more prone to the disease than are men. Other risk factors according to Mayo Clinic (2014) include obesity, high cholesterol, and lack of exercise, high blood pressure and diabetes that is …show more content…
MRI is used to rule out any conditions that may influence the cognitive symptoms of AD. There is no definite treatment but medication can relieve the symptoms of memory loss and other cognitive changes. For example, the use of “Cholinesterase inhibitors improve neuropsychiatric symptoms such as agitation or depression,” (Mayo Clinic, 2014). Memantine is another well-known drug that is used to slow the progression of memory loss symptoms. Alternative to medication includes a well nutritious diet that is high in Omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin E, exercise and maintaining a safe environment around the individual with AD such as removing excess