Alzheimer's Disease - An Overview
Introduction
Alzheimer's disease is a neurologic degenerative disorder that causes the brain to shrink and brain cells to die. Alzheimer's disease, the most prevalent type of dementia, impairs a person's capacity for independent living and is characterized by a steady decline in social, behavioral, and cognitive abilities. Alzheimer's affects 5.8 million Americans over the age of 65. Eighty percent of them are older than 75. Globally, 50 million people have dementia, and 60 to 70 percent of those people are thought to have Alzheimer's disease. Forgetting earlier encounters or occurrences is one of the illness' early warning signals. A person with Alzheimer's disease will have severe memory loss and lose the ability to carry out daily tasks.
Symptoms
The primary sign that someone has Alzheimer's is memory loss. The inability to recall previous conversations or incidents is a red flag. Memory issues tend to appear when the illness deteriorates and new symptoms start to appear. A person with Alzheimer's disease may be aware of having trouble organizing their thoughts and remembering specifics when the disease first manifests. The first person to notice the symptoms getting worse can be a close friend or family member.
Memory
Everyone periodically loses their memories, but Alzheimer's disease sufferers face permanent memory loss that worsens over time, making it challenging to complete daily chores at home or at work.
- Patients with Alzheimer's disease may continually repeat questions and sentences.
- Later forget conversations, appointments, or activities.
- Frequently misplace possessions and put them in strange places
- Become disoriented in well-known areas.
- Eventually, lose the names of familiar people and things.
- Have trouble conversing, identifying items, or putting your ideas or actions into words.
Reasoning and Thinking
Alzheimer's disease causes difficulties with concentration and reasoning, particularly when it comes to abstract concepts like numbers.
Managing money, keeping checkbooks in balance, and paying bills on time can be challenging while multitasking. Alzheimer's patients may gradually lose their capacity for understanding and using numbers.
Making Decisions and Judgments
Alzheimer's disease causes a decline in rational judgment and decision-making abilities. One may act out of character or poorly in social settings, or they may dress improperly for the occasion. It could be more difficult to deal with everyday occurrences like food burning on the stove or unforeseen driving conditions.
Personality and Behavior Changes
Moods and Behaviors may be affected by the brain alterations that result from Alzheimer's disease. Some issues could be the following.
- Depression
- Apathy
- Social isolation
- Mood changes
- Suspicion of others
- Easily irritated and hostile
- Alterations in sleeping patterns
- Wandering
- Loss of self-control
- Delusions, such as believing something has been stolen
Causes
The exact causation of Alzheimer's disease is unknown. However, brain proteins fundamentally malfunction, impairing the function of brain cells (neurons) and setting off a series of negative events. Neurons that have been damaged eventually stop interacting with one another and perish.
Scientists believe that a combination of nutritional, environmental, and inherited factors that have a long-lasting unfavorable effect on the brain usually causes Alzheimer's disease. Only 1% of individuals with specific genetic abnormalities get Alzheimer's disease, but these individuals virtually always do. These uncommon instances result in the disease frequently manifesting in middle age.
Prevention
The disease Alzheimer's has no known treatment. However, some lifestyle risk factors for Alzheimer's can be altered. Evidence suggests that you should also take precautions to lessen your risk of dementia-causing illnesses like Alzheimer's disease together with efforts to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. Some heart-healthy lifestyle choices that may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's include the following:
Medication
An increased chance of AD onset and a worsening course is linked to cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia. Statins, which reduce cholesterol, may be useful in treating Alzheimer's. In people without overt cognitive impairment, antihypertensive and anti-diabetic medicines may reduce the risk of dementia by affecting cerebrovascular disease. Clarification of the direct function drugs play vs other concurrent lifestyle modifications (diet, exercise, and smoking) is required in order to better understand the association with Alzheimer's disease in particular.
Antidepressant treatment may serve as a prophylactic approach because depression is linked to an elevated risk for Alzheimer's disease. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use for a prolonged period of time was once believed to lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Lifestyle
The risk of Alzheimer's disease may be influenced by certain lifestyle factors, including physical and mental activity, higher levels of education and vocational accomplishment, smoking, stress, and sleep deprivation, as well as the control of other comorbidities like diabetes and hypertension.
Exercise helps people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) experience fewer symptoms and is linked to a lower incidence of dementia.
Exercises like brisk walking for forty minutes three times a week can help with memory and cognitive abilities. The brain's neuroplasticity may also be induced. Reading, doing crossword puzzles, and playing chess have all been proven to have possible protective effects. A decreased risk of AD is linked to physical activity levels that meet WHO standards.
Journal of Neurology and Clinical Neuroscience is a peer-reviewed, academic International journal that provides a platform for academics, laypeople, medical professionals, and students who are eager to contribute their results in this area. The current diagnosis and management of neurological illnesses are welcome contributions to this journal from neurologists.
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