Alzheimer’s Disease and Its Effects On Americans

Alzheimer’s Disease and Its Effects On Americans
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Alzheimer’s Disease and Its Effects On Americans
Alzheimer’s is one of the most devastating degenerative health conditions impacting the American population. Medically, it is a particular kind of dementia. An impairment of at least two brain functions, such as memory loss and judgment, characterizes several disorders collectively known as dementia. Several symptoms, such as forgetfulness, poor social skills, and impaired thinking, make it challenging to complete daily tasks. Although the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease is rising globally, few treatment options exist. Environmental exposures have recently been researched as a trigger for the disease’s onset. The focus of this paper will review the effects of Alzheimer’s on the American population.
In the United States, Alzheimer’s affects more than 6 million people. Research illustrates that this figure will likely increase to nearly 16 million by 2050 (Alzheimer’s Association, 2021). As the US elderly population continues to increase rapidly, research illustrates that Alzheimer’s poses a significant public health challenge, and the disease may disproportionately affect older African Americans (Grabher, 2018). Although African Americans were typically underrepresented in earlier research studies, emerging evidence suggests that they may be at higher risk for the disease and that their risk factors and clinical manifestations are distinct from those of the non-Hispanic white population.
For family caregivers, medical professionals, and policymakers, Alzheimer’s disease remains a significant and expanding public health issue (Grabher, 2018). Given that dementia is highly correlated with advancing age and that the population is rapidly expanding among those 65 and older, the condition is predicted to become more prevalent than it now is in the following decades. Likewise, there is a growing diversity in the US, especially among the elderly. According to data from the US Census Bureau in 2010, racial or ethnic minorities comprised 20 percent of the US aged 65 and over. According to forecasts, ethnic groups will make up 42 percent of the older individuals in the country by 2050 (WHO, 2022). The expected percentage of minorities among people 85 years and older is 33 percent.
Alzheimer’s disease not only results in human misery but also places a tremendous burden on families, the federal budget, and the health care system. Alzheimer’s is a progressive mental disorder that impairs memory, thinking, and other cognitive processes by destroying brain cells over time. Alzheimer’s ultimately has no cure. In America, Alzheimer’s is ranked the sixth most prevalent cause of death and the only one of the top ten conditions for which there ...