“Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health problem. PTSD can only develop after you go through or see a life-threatening event. It’s normal to have stress reactions to these types of events, and most people start to feel better after a few weeks or months. Learn about PTSD symptoms and treatments to help you get better. There are currently about 8 million people in the United States with PTSD.”.

U.S. Dept of Veterans Affairs (https://www.ptsd.va.gov)

“Males experience more traumatic events on average than do females, yet females are more likely to meet diagnostic criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), according to a review of 25 years of research reported in the November issue of Psychological Bulletin, published by the American Psychological Association (APA).

From the review, researchers David F. Tolin, PhD of the Institute of Living and Edna B. Foa, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that female study participants were more likely than male study participants to have experienced sexual assault and child sexual abuse, but less likely to have experienced accidents, nonsexual assaults, witness death or injury, disaster or fire and combat or war. Sexual trauma, the authors conclude, may cause more emotional suffering and are more likely to contribute to a PTSD diagnosis than other types of trauma. Women’s higher PTSD rates were not solely attributable to their higher risk for adult sexual assault and child sexual abuse, explained Tolin. PTSD rates were still higher for women even when both sexes were compared on the same type of trauma. PTSD may be diagnosed more in women in part because of the criteria used to define it. Cognitive and emotional responses to traumatic events make a diagnosis of PTSD more likely.”.

American Psychological Association

“2 million people in the United States have aphasia, but 84.5% of Americans state that they’ve never heard the term aphasia. This fact needs to change immediately to pave the way for better communication experiences for people living with aphasia. Get ready because it’s time for Aphasia Awareness Month.

National Aphasia Association – 35 years of Support (https://www.aphasia.org/stories/june-aphasia-awareness-month/)

“Results from national-level surveys and data systems are used to identify male/female differences in mortality rates, prevalence of diseases, physical functioning, and indicators of physiological status. Male/female differences in health outcomes depend on epidemiological and social circumstances and behaviors, and many are not consistent across historical time and between countries. In all countries, male life expectancy is now lower than female life expectancy, but this was not true in the past. In most countries, women have more problems performing instrumental activities of daily living, and men do better in measured performance of functioning. Men tend to have more cardiovascular diseases; women, more inflammatory-related diseases. Sex differences in major cardiovascular risk factors vary between countries—men tend to have more hypertension; women, more raised lipids. Indicators of physiological dysregulation indicate greater inflammatory activity for women and generally higher cardiovascular risk for men, although women have higher or similar cardiovascular risk in some markers depending on the historical time and country.”

NIH National Library of Medicine (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6345642/)

“Most cataracts develop slowly and don’t disturb your eyesight early on. But with time, cataracts will eventually interfere with your vision.

At first, stronger lighting and eyeglasses can help you deal with cataracts. But if impaired vision interferes with your usual activities, you might need cataract surgery. Fortunately, cataract surgery is generally a safe, effective procedure.”

MAYO CLINIC (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cataracts/symptoms-causes/syc-20353790)

“Regarding risk factors, anyone can get cataracts. While most people don’t typically show symptoms until at least the age of 40, cataracts can also affect young adults or even children. Heredity, disease, eye injury and smoking could cause cataracts to develop at an earlier age.”

Specialty Eye Institute by midwest vision partners (https://www.specialtyeyeinstitute.com/june-is-cataract-awareness-month/)

“Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases.  Alzheimer’s worsens over time. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years.  Alzheimer’s has no cure, but two treatments — aducanumab (Aduhelm™) and lecanemab (Leqembi™) — demonstrate that removing beta-amyloid, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, from the brain reduces cognitive and functional decline in people living with early Alzheimer’s. Other treatments can temporarily slow the worsening of dementia symptoms and improve quality of life for those with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. Today, there is a worldwide effort underway to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset and prevent it from developing.  Just like the rest of our bodies, our brains change as we age. Most of us eventually notice some slowed thinking and occasional problems with remembering certain things. However, serious memory loss, confusion and other major changes in the way our minds work may be a sign that brain cells are failing.”

Alzheimer’s Association (https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-alzheimers)

“Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most generic form of dementia, is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that destroys neuronal cells. AD is the fifth leading cause of death for people aged sixty-five and older [1]. Scientists do not yet fully understand the cause of this disease, which is likely to involve several factors and can affect each person differently. Health care providers often fail to diagnose AD at an early stage; thus, researchers are currently working on a diagnostic framework in which AD onset can be detected based on biological changes in the brain and body even before any symptoms appear [2]. Early AD identification remains challenging as the conventional biomarkers for AD can overlap with the classical aging process.

Recent studies suggest that dysfunctional glucose metabolism is often found in AD brains. An aged-matched comparison between regular and AD brains showed reduced glucose utilization, evidenced in APP (AD model) mice [7]. Thus, glucose utilization could be an early important imaging marker for AD detection. Under normal physiological conditions, brain cells use a relatively higher percentage of glucose for their function and energy source [8]. Alteration in cerebral glucose metabolic rate and glucose consumption are reflected in the synaptic excitability and neuronal activity [9]. In the AD brain, a lesser extent of glucose utilization was detected by positron emission tomography (PET) using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) as a tracer [10]. Specifically, a reduction in glucose consumption at the hippocampal and posterior cingulate of the brain was observed in the early AD stages [11,12,13].

NIH National Library of Medicine (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9455726/)

“To diagnose Alzheimer’s dementia, doctors conduct tests to assess memory impairment and other thinking skills, judge functional abilities, and identify behavior changes. They also perform a series of tests to rule out other possible causes of impairment.  Alzheimer’s dementia can be diagnosed in several different ways. Often, Alzheimer’s is diagnosed through a doctor’s exam. They will evaluate your signs and symptoms and do several tests. They may talk to friends and family members to find out more about symptoms and behavior.

It’s important to get an accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, the most common type of dementia. The correct diagnosis is an important first step toward getting the appropriate treatment, care, family education and plans for the future.”.

MAYO CLINIC (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/in-depth/alzheimers/art-20048075)

“Alzheimer’s disease is a type of brain disease, just as coronary artery disease is a type of heart disease. It is
caused by damage to nerve cells (neurons) in the brain. The brain’s neurons are essential to thinking, walking,
talking and all human activity.  In Alzheimer’s, the neurons damaged first are those in parts of the brain responsible for memory, language and thinking. As a result, the first symptoms tend to be memory,
language and thinking problems. Although these symptoms are new to the individual affected, the brain changes that cause them are thought to begin 20 years or more before symptoms start.”.

Alzheimer’s Association (https://www.alz.org › alzheimers-facts-and-figures)