What Do You Know About Alzheimer's Disease?

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause for old-age dementia that is considered pathologic

. Dementia is a general definition to deterioration in cognitive and social skills, in a manner that affects and debilitates day to day life.

The pathology behind Alzheimer's disease is degeneration and atrophy of healthy brain cells, leading to progressive loss of memory and mental abilities.

Alzheimer's disease is not just a normal stage of old-age, however the chances of having this disease rise with age. It is said that approximately 5% of the population ages 65-74 are sick with Alzheimer's, whereas at the age of 85 it is closer to 50% of the population.

This is indeed an incurable illness, although there are treatments that can benefit with the patient's quality of life.

Coping with the disease is not at all easy for the patients nor their families. They often require additional professional support from their primary-care physician and others (social workers, psychologists, etc.).

The symptoms of Alzheimer's disease range from very mild to very severe dementia. The first stage of the disease is characterized by slight loss of short-term memory and some level of confusion. Later on there can be trouble finding the right words, trouble finding their way around, forgetting where they placed items around the house, forgetting meeting or conversations.

A more progressed stage is characterized by trouble interpreting logical data, performing familiar tasks and also trouble handling numbers. For example money issues should be carefully watched by family members should the patient make wrong financial decisions. In addition tracking the time (hours of the day, dates) can be challenging for the patients at this point.

The final stages of the disease are characterized by loss of judgment, loss of long-term memory, including names of close friends and family, trouble keeping up a conversation and inability to perform daily life activities such as cooking, maintaining personal hygiene and taking care of themselves.

Some of the physical signs one should be aware of when suspecting a family member might have early-stage Alzheimer's are: minor personality changes, mood swings, social withdrawal, depression and anxiety, aggressiveness.

Loss of memory is required for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease, since there can be many other causes for this type of described behavior in the elderly that is not related to dementia or Alzheimer's.

The cause of Alzheimer's disease is currently unknown. It is not caused by only one factor. Scientists believe that there are several genetic triggers for the disease, that burst out when specific environmental factors are present.

by: Maria Gonzales

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