What Is Alzheimers Disease

What is Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimers Disease is a slow disease, starting with mild memory problems and ending with severe brain damage.

The course the disease and how fast changes occur vary from person to person. On average, Alzheimers Disease patients live from 8 to 10 years after they are diagnosed, though the disease can last for as many as 20 years.

But Alzheimer's is far more than simple memory loss; it's the gradual, permanent tangling of the nerve fibers that surround the memory center of the brain. Alzheimer's begins with simple repeated memory loss, particularlv for reagent events, develops into obvious confusion, and ultimately causes troubling personality changes and a complete inability to communicate or survive independently.

A diagnosis of Alzheimer's is usually made by process of elimination, only an autopsy of the brain will reveal the definitive evidence,and it is important when suspecting Alzheimer's to eliminate other factors that can cause memory loss or behavior that mimics Alzheimer's.

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Some Facts About Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is:
• A frequent cause of irreversible brain failure (dementia) that accounts for more than 60 percent of all dementia cases.
• The fourth leading killer in the United States, behind heart disease, cancer and stroke.
• Generally, but not always, a disease of older people. The disease occurs in 10 percent of those over age 65 and 45 percent of those over age 85.
• A disease with symptoms that vary from patient to patient and from day to day in the same patient.
• a slowly progressing disease, averaging about eight years from the onset until death. The time can range from two to 20 years, depending on the age and other health factors of the individual.
Alzheimer’s disease is not:
• Insanity or “craziness.”
• Contagious.
• “Hardening of the arteries.” The disease associated with arteriosclerosis is stroke. Strokes are the second most common cause of brain failure.
• Willful disagreeableness by the impaired person. Sufferers are sometimes wrongly thought to be acting deliberately when they display annoying behavior.
• Simply the result of old age. Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are the result of a disease process, and though more common with advancing age, they are not a normal part of growing older.

The three Stages of Alzheimer's Disease

The symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are grouped into three stages based on impairment of abilities:
Early stage (mild)
• Can still hold a job but has difficulty in demanding work situations
• Some short-term memory loss
• Suffers from occasional unjustified mood swings

Mid-stage (mild to moderate)
• Has difficulty performing complicated activities, such as handling finances
• Has difficulty selecting appropriate clothing
• Starts to lose social and language skills
• Irrational

Late stage (severe)
• Suffers from incontinence and loses bowel control; requires toilet assistance
• Cannot dress himself or herself
• Loses speech facilities
• Loses ambulatory ability

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Progression of Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's Disease is a slow disease and is different for each person. Some people may only have the disease for 5 years while others may have it for 20 years.Early signs may be missed because they look like normal aging signs.

The following are the 3 stages of Alzheimer's disease.
•Stage 1 lasts from 1 to 3 years:
o Memory loss is the most common sign. You may be able to remember what happened years ago, but may not remember things from yesterday. Things that happen seem to be happening for the first time. You may be confused about what month or season it is. You may forget to brush your teeth or comb your hair. You may not remember the names of common things or people. You may feel like you have to make up stories to hide your forgetfulness.
o Walking may become harder for you. It may be hard to work on your checkbook or to take care of your house. You may find it hard to make decisions that were once easy. You may not be as interested in doing things. You may feel depressed, angry, or confused about the changes you notice.

•Stage 2 lasts up to 10 years:
o You may have problems choosing what clothes to wear or doing simple jobs. Feeding yourself, brushing your teeth, or shaving may be hard. Taking care of your body may no longer seem important. You may not know people familiar to you. Things that happen seem to be happening for the first time. You may become loud, violent, and hard to control. Sleeping and wandering off or pacing may cause problems because you are confused.
o You may seem anxious, restless, and agitated at night. This is often called "sundowners." It may be hard to find words to say what you mean. Talking in normal sentences may give you problems. Your speech may be hard to understand. You may quickly change topics when you are talking.
o You may seem depressed or worried. You may be happy at unusual times. You may put things in strange places and not remember where you put them. You may be unable to make choices and decisions. It may be hard to reason or solve problems. Or, you may be unable to plan and follow through with activities.
o You may find it hard to control your emotions. Sometimes you may act like a child because you cannot control your anger. You may not be able to wait to get what you want. You may get more tired because everything takes more effort and energy. You may think that something is true even though it is not. You may see things that are not actually there. Sometimes you may not be able to control your urine.

•Stage 3 lasts from 8 to 12 years:
You will completely lose your memory and speech. Groups of your muscles will stop working, including those used for urinating and having a bowel movement (BM). It will be very hard to walk. Your behavior will change and you may become very angry and out of control. You may be aggressive and destroy things. With time, you will not be able to care for yourself and will need someone to take care of you.

Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

Although there is hope that Alzheimer's disease may one day be more fully understood, and thereby prevented, science does not yet know what can be done to arrest the mental deterioration.

Even diagnosis of the disease is not a precise science. There are tests that can suggest a diagnosis of Alzheimer's and that can rule out other problems as the cause of symptoms, but there currently is no single laboratory procedures or biochemical marker that can definitively confirm the disorder in a living person.

Because dementia can be a symptom of many disorders, a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is usually made when all other possibilities have been eliminated.

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Caring for Alzheimers' Sufferers

At present there are no Alzheimers treatments that will prevent or reverse the onset of Alzheimers or its progression.Physicians understand the disease much more, and they use medical Alzheimers treatment to treat many of the disease symptoms.

Effective Alzheimers treatments are not far off. It is important to consult with a qualified physician to eliminate some symptoms that mimic true Alzheimers to distinguish between the many causes of dementia, some of which are completely treatable.

Alzheimers treatments are available that help improve the quality of life for Alzheimer sufferers even though there is no cure to prevent the disease. More drugs and associated genes have been discovered that may lead to new Alzheimers treatments in order to halt the progression of this complex disease. Although there is no cure currently for the disease, the primary Alzheimer treatment is medication as well as concerned care giving.

Current medications for Alzheimers treatment cannot reverse the disease process, but they may slow down the disease and lessen the symptoms. Alzheimers treatment is still in its infancy, but researchers are confident that in the not too distant future, medications will successfully treat Alzheimers symptoms.

In addition to the search for better ways to deal with Alzheimers treatment, a number of natural therapies are being explored. Foods containing Vitamin E and other antioxidants have also been the focus of study for Alzheimers treatment. Stem cell research concerning bone marrow transformation to neural cells have created optimism into future Alzheimers treatment.

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