10 Expository Essay Topics on Alzheimer’s Disease

If you are looking to write an expository essay on Alzheimer’s disease then you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, you’ll find some very interesting facts on Alzheimer’s disease, and this is the first part of an extensive three-part guide on the subject.

After going through these facts you’ll be able to demonstrate top-notch research in your essay. Once you’re through, you can go to the next part of this comprehensive guide which discusses specific topics.

This guide is meant to spark your thought process.

Here are 10 facts on Alzheimer’s disease for an expository essay:

1. Alzheimer’s disease takes hold when the brain experiences partial memory loss, and the ability to think or reason. This can cause a number of behavioral problems and is considered a disease because it has nothing to do with certain behavioral or memory-related pitfalls that come with the natural aging process. The symptoms can vary in different cases, though one of earliest and most noticeable signs is when a person starts forgetting things. This forgetfulness gradually and adversely starts to affect day-to-day activities. People with Alzheimer’s tend to get easily confused, misplace objects, have trouble communicating and often find themselves lost in places they were familiar with.
2. Alzheimer’s disease affects more than 5 million Americans making it one of the most common types of dementia; Alzheimer’s accounts for more than 60 percent cases combined, 11 percent of which includes people over 65 and one-third over the age of 85. Alzheimer’s disease can also have a negative effect on the patient’s family as around 15 million American family members, caretakers and friends are  affected by this disease every year.
3. One of the most prominent form of Alzheimer’s disease is vascular dementia. It involves a deterioration of the thought process which is caused by an impaired blood supply to the brain. This deprives brain cells of vital nutrients and oxygen. Symptoms of limited thinking skills can start surfacing soon after a stroke, which blocks blood vessels leading to the brain. This is by far the second most common reason which causes dementia, the first one being Alzheimer’s disease.
4. Mixed dementia is closely connected to Alzheimer’s disease, which is a condition in which multiple types of symptoms of mental abnormality are diagnosed in one go. Since it’s an amalgamation of all kinds of dementia, symptoms of this category of disease vary from person to person. This is because it affects every brain type and parts of the brain differently. The symptoms, however, can be exactly the same as Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, although the diagnosis is always unique for each person.
5. In the vast field of dementia, Parkinson’s disease is considered very deadly in particular. This is when a person’s brain is rendered incapable of having a normal thought process or ability to reason. It’s known that the gradual changes in the brain due to this disease can lead to issues such as mental dysfunction, memory loss, the ability to maintain a short or long attention span, or making sound decisions.
6. If we are to look at an Alzheimer’s patient’s brain signature or waves, we’ll be able to notice plaques and tangles. These plaques develop due to deposits of protein fragments known as beta amyloid, which reside between nerve cell spaces. Tangles are twisting fibers known as tau protein that take abode inside nerve cells.
7. According to various autopsy research and observations, it’s known that even a normal human brain develops these tangles and plaques once the naturally induced age-related mental decline begins. But in the case of Alzheimer’s disease, these plaques and tangles develop in significantly larger number. They also develop in a certain pattern and start multiplying until they start manifesting areas of the brain which are responsible for memory.
8. According to research, older Latinos are more likely to get Alzheimer’s disease than older Caucasian people. Similarly, older African-Americans are twice more likely to get Alzheimer’s disease than older Caucasians. These facts are merely statistical and can’t be applied theoretically until they are backed by proper scientific reasoning. One of the most common theories is that Latinos and African-Americans have a higher rate of vascular disease, which contributes to Alzheimer’s disease.
9. There is no immediate cure for Alzheimer’s disease and the treatments that exist can only slow the process down or reduce a few symptoms. There is also a school of thought which says that Alzheimer’s disease patients who avail full treatment, support and care can live a relatively normal life.
10. When it comes to Alzheimer’s disease, six out of ten people can end up lost or wandering around. An Alzheimer’s disease patient can forget the whereabouts of their own home. If a lost Alzheimer’s disease patient is not recovered within 24 hours, they can be at a greater risk of getting hurt or even losing their lives to untimely accidents.

After coming to terms with these facts, we assure you that you’ll be able to write a very informative and academic expository essay on Alzheimer’s disease. We understand you may be wondering about interesting topics to write on. You’re in luck: the next part of this series, “20 essay topics on Alzheimer’s disease”, has plenty of topics to choose from.

In addition to some very interesting topics, our next guide also includes a sample essay on one of the topics. We highly recommend that you read that essay before going to the final guide, how to outline an expository essay on Alzheimer’s disease, which has all the information you’ll need to start writing the actual essay. Just letting you know ahead of time.

References:

1. Callone, P. (2006). A caregiver’s guide to Alzheimer’s disease : 300 tips for making life easier. New York: Demos Medical Pub.
2. Coste, J. (2004). Learning to speak Alzheimer’s : a groundbreaking approach for everyone dealing with the disease. Milsons Point, N.S.W: Transworld Publishing.
3. Fife, B. (2011). Stop Alzheimer’s now! : how to prevent and reverse dementia, Parkinson’s, ALS, multiple sclerosis, and other neurodegenerative disorders. Colorado Springs, CO: Piccadilly Books.
4. Kapsambelis, N. (2017). Inheritance : a family on the front lines of the battle against alzheimer’s disease. S.l: Simon & Schuster.
5. Mace, N. & Rabins, P. (2012). The 36-hour day : a family guide to caring for people who have Alzheimer’s disease, related dementias, and memory loss. New York: Grand Central Life & Style.
6. Newport, M. (2011). Alzheimer’s disease : what if there was a cure? : the story of ketones. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications.
7. Poirier, J., Gauthier, S. & Sandilands, B. (2014). Alzheimer’s disease : the complete introduction. Toronto: Dundurn.