Basic information about Alzheimer’s disease

 Alzheimer’s Disease

What is Alzheimer’s disease?

Dementia is the most common cause of Alzheimer's disease in which condition, the intellectual and social abilities were lost severely enough to interfere with the affected person’s daily functioning. Dementia occurs in people with Alzheimer's disease because healthy brain tissue degenerates, causing a steady decline in memory and mental abilities.

What are the common signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease?

• Oblivious, persistent and increasing trend of forgetfulness, even with common recent events or simple directions.  This only starts mildly and later forgetfulness persists and worsens. People with Alzheimer's routinely misplace things, often putting them in illogical locations. The most frequent that they forget were names, even the names of family members and objects that they see everyday.
• People with Alzheimer's disease have difficulties with abstract thinking. They may initially have trouble balancing their checkbook, a problem that progresses to trouble recognizing and dealing with numbers.
• Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease could hardly find exact and the right word to express thoughts or even follow conversations. Eventually, their reading and writing skills are also affected.
• People with Alzheimer’s disease are disorientated and cannot remember time and dates. They usually find themselves lost in familiar surroundings.
• People with Alzheimer’s disease have loss of judgment. Forgetfulness on solving everyday problems becomes increasingly very difficult and the worst to impossible to get through even how food is cooked and other simple things.
• Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease have hardship in performing familiar and routine tasks that require sequential steps, such as cooking, become a struggle as the disease progresses. They would surely forget even simple and basic things.
• Persons with Alzheimer’s disease have noticeable changes in their personality. They usually have swings of mood. And because of these they will express mistrust to other people, show increased stubbornness and withdraw socially.

What are the main causes of Alzheimer’s disease?

• There is massive destruction of brain cells disrupting the transmitters that carry the messages in the brain, particularly those responsible for storing memories.
• The cause of the destruction remains of the brain cells still unknown.
• The genetic heredity factors play part in the development of the disease as shown in the studies made.
• The neurotransmitters 'acetylcholine' and 'norepinephrine' are hypothesized to be hypoactive in Alzheimer's disease.

 

What are the risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease?

• Age. Alzheimer's usually affects people older than 65, but can rarely, affect those younger than 40.  80 is the average age as per diagnosis.  Less than 5 percent of people between 65 and 74 have Alzheimer's.  However, that number jumps to almost 50 percent for those people aged 85 and older.
• Heredity.  Your risk of developing Alzheimer's appears to be slightly higher if a first-degree relative -parent, sister or brother - has the disease.
• Sex.  Women according to survey live longer than men, so they are more likely to develop this disease.
• Lifestyle.  The same factors that put you at risk of heart diseases, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, may also increase the likelihood that you'll develop Alzheimer's disease.  We have to exercise and keep our mind healthy as much as we do to keep our body fit.
• Head injury.  The dementia eventually develops to ex-boxers as per studies and observations  maybe because serious traumatic injury to the head (for example, with a prolonged loss of consciousness) may be a risk factor for Alzheimer's.

How many are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease?

• Research found that 11 million people suffer worldwide
• It is about 5% of people reaching 65 years old are affected
• Research also showed that 15-25% of people reaching 85 years old are affected
• Late stage of disease requires one total dependence and inactivity representing an enormous burden on family and health care delivery.

 

What are the important measures that can be done with Alzheimer’s disease?

• Currently there is no cure for Alzheimer's Disease
• General treatment approach to patient is to provide supportive medical care, pharmacological treatment for specific symptoms, including disruptive behavior, and emotional support for patients and their families.