Alzheimer’s disease is a condition that causes dementia and the loss of intellectual and various social abilities as a result of degeneration of healthy brain tissue. Healthy brain tissue begins to degenerate and a steady decline in memory as well as various mental functions result from Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is not considered a part of the normal aging process in which people can gradually become forgetful but studies do show that the risk associated with Alzheimer’s does increase as a person ages.
It is estimated that about 5% of people between the ages of 65 and 74 will have Alzheimer’s disease. This number increases to nearly half of all people or 50% once over the age of 84. These statistics show the dramatic increase in risk of developing Alzheimer’s with age.
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease but there are many treatments that may help to slow the brain degeneration process and reduce the dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia for people that are elderly.
Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease
The symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease usually begin with minor memory loss and confusion that may be easily misinterpreted as related to “old age.” Eventually Alzheimer’s disease will lead to an impaired mental state that destroys the ability to remember or learn. People with advanced Alzheimer’s disease are unable to imagine or to reason as a result of the progression of the brain degeneration.
Some of the most common symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease associated with memory loss include repeating things over and over as a result of having forgot a conversation, or misplacing things or putting things away in awkward places as a result of not remembering where the item should be placed. In time, people with Alzheimer’s disease will even forget the names of loved ones and will have trouble remembering the names for everyday objects such as a hairbrush, car or other object.
Alzheimer’s disease causes people to think in an abstract manner. The disease makes it difficult for people to recognize numbers which can cause problems with any mathematical type work such as balancing a checkbook or remembering a telephone number or address. Additionally, people may have difficulty talking or following conversations because the Alzheimer’s disease progresses to a point in which it makes it difficult for the individual to find words to express emotions.
Even familiar tasks are difficult to perform for people with Alzheimer’s disease. Tasks such as cooking and cleaning which may have once been routine for an individual can become a struggle as the disease progresses. Any type of task which requires planning or decision making is of greater difficulty for people with Alzheimer’s disease. People with Alzheimer’s disease may also experience certain personality changes such as mood swings, lack of trust in others, depression, anxiety and withdrawal from social situations.
Alzheimer’s Disease Causes and Risk Factors
Scientists think that a genetic predisposition as well as lifestyle and environmental factors all have significant impact on the likelihood of an individual developing Alzheimer’s disease. Although the actual causes of Alzheimer’s disease are not fully understood the effect that this brain degenerating disease has on tissues is quite clear. Alzheimer’s disease causes severe damage to the brain cells and ultimately results in a dead brain.
The most common risk factor of Alzheimer’s disease is age followed by sex and heredity. Women are at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease because they typically live longer than men. Heredity seems to be another common risk factor in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. For people who have a first degree relative such as a parent or sibling with Alzheimer’s disease then the risk for that individual increases.
People with high blood pressure or high cholesterol may also be at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Poorly controlled diabetes also increases the risk of Alzheimer’s. Studies suggest that people who are mentally active throughout life even in their adult years and into the elderly stages have less risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.
Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Doctors may prescribe medications to improve the symptoms of the disease or to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s. Certain symptoms such as sleeplessness and depression or anxiety can be treated with medication and can help to alleviate some of the burden of Alzheimer’s disease. There are also two types of medication that have been proven to slow the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease. They are cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine or namenda.
People with Alzheimer’s disease may benefit from specialized care at rehab centers or nursing homes that have specialists who are skilled in treating this degenerative brain condition. Families of Alzheimer’s disease patients may also benefit from counseling and therapy that is provided by rehab centers. Certain types of counseling can help to teach the family and loved ones how to cope with the disorder and the symptoms that the individual is suffering from. It can be difficult for loved ones to understand or to cope with the fact that their loved one is forgetting who they are or how to do things and rehab centers can provide therapy and counseling as well as support for this.
