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Alzheimer’s Disease – Root Cause, Prevention, and Assistive Aids.

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Introduction

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. At first, someone with Alzheimer’s disease may notice mild confusion and difficulty remembering. Eventually, people with the disease may even forget important people in their lives and undergo dramatic personality changes.

Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia among older adults. Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning—thinking, remembering, and reasoning—and behavioral abilities to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. Dementia ranges in severity from the mildest stage, when it is just beginning to affect a person’s functioning, to the most severe stage, when the person must depend completely on others for basic activities of daily living.

Changes in the Brain

 Cross sections of the brain show atrophy or shrinking of brain tissue caused by Alzheimer’s disease.

Stages of Alzheimer’s disease

Stage 1: Normal Outward Behavior

When one individual is in this early phase, he won’t have any symptoms that can be spot. Only a PET scan, an imaging test that shows how the brain is working, can reveal whether he’s got Alzheimer’s. As he moves into the next 6 stages, patient with Alzheimer’s will see more and more changes in his thinking and reasoning.

Stage 2: Very Mild Changes

You still might not notice anything amiss in your loved one’s behavior, but he may be picking up on small differences, things that even a doctor doesn’t catch. This could include forgetting a word or misplacing objects. At this stage, subtle symptoms of Alzheimer’s don’t interfere with his ability to work or live independently. Keep in mind that these symptoms might not be Alzheimer’s at all, but simply normal changes from aging.

Stage 3: Mild Decline

It’s at this point that you start to notice changes in your loved one’s thinking and reasoning, such as:

You can help by being your loved one’s “memory” for him, making sure he pays bills and gets to appointments on time. You can also suggest he ease stress by retiring from work and putting his legal and financial affairs in order.

Stage 4: Moderate Decline

During this period, the problems in thinking and reasoning that you noticed in stage 3 get more obvious, and new issues appear. Your friend or family member might:

You can help with everyday chores and his safety. Make sure he isn’t driving anymore, and that someone isn’t trying to take advantage of him financially.

Stage 5: Moderately Severe Decline

Your loved one might start to lose track of where he is and what time it is. He might have trouble remembering his address, phone number, or where he went to school. He could get confused about what kind of clothes to wear for the day or season. You can help by laying out his clothing in the morning. It can help him dress by himself and keep a sense of independence.

If he repeats the same question, answer with an even, reassuring voice. He might be asking the question less to get an answer and more to just know you’re there. Even if your loved one can’t remember facts and details, he might still be able to tell a story. Invite him to use his imagination at those times.

Stage 6: Severe Decline

As Alzheimer’s progresses, your loved one might recognize faces but forget names. He might also mistake a person for someone else, for instance, thinking his wife is his mother. Delusions might a set in, such as thinking he needs to go to work even though he no longer has a job. You might need to help him go to the bathroom. It might be hard to talk, but you can still connect with him through the senses. Many people with Alzheimer’s love hearing music, being read to, or looking over old photos.

Stage 7: Very Severe Decline

Many basic abilities in a person with Alzheimer’s, such as eating, walking, and sitting up, fade during this period. You can stay involved by feeding your loved one with soft, easy-to-swallow food, helping him use a spoon, and making sure he drinks. This is important, as many people at this stage can no longer tell when they’re thirsty.

History about alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. Her symptoms included memory loss, language problems, and unpredictable behavior. After she died, he examined her brain and found many abnormal clumps (now called amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of fibers (now called neurofibrillary, or tau, tangles).

These plaques and tangles in the brain are still considered some of the main features of Alzheimer’s disease. Another feature is the loss of connections between nerve cells (neurons) in the brain. Neurons transmit messages between different parts of the brain, and from the brain to muscles and organs in the body.

Epidemiology of alzheimer’s disease

Someone in the world develops dementia every 3 seconds. There were an estimated 46.8 million people worldwide living with dementia in 2015 and this number is believed to be close to 50 million people in 2017. This number will almost double every 20 years, reaching 75 million in 2030 and 131.5 million in 2050. Much of the increase will be in developing countries. Already 58% of people with dementia live in low and middle income countries, but by 2050 this will rise to 68%. The fastest growth in the elderly population is taking place in China, India, and their south Asian and western Pacific neighbours. There are over 9.9 million new cases of dementia each year worldwide, implying one new case every 3.2 seconds.

 

Risk factors of alzheimer’s disease

These risk factors are also linked to vascular dementia, a type of dementia caused by damaged blood vessels in the brain. Working with your health care team on a plan to control these factors will help protect your heart and may also help reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.

What Causes alzheimer’s disease?

Symptoms of alzheimer’s disease

Memory loss

Thinking and reasoning

Making judgments and decisions

Planning and performing familiar tasks

Once-routine activities that require sequential steps, such as planning and cooking a meal or playing a favorite game, become a struggle as the disease progresses. Eventually, people with advanced Alzheimer’s may forget how to perform basic tasks such as dressing and bathing.

Changes in personality and behavior

Brain changes that occur in Alzheimer’s disease can affect the way you act and how you feel. People with Alzheimer’s may experience:

Diagnosis and Testing

To distinguish Alzheimer’s disease from other causes of memory loss, doctors now typically rely on the following types of tests.

Physical and neurological exam

Lab tests

Blood tests may help your doctor rule out other potential causes of memory loss and confusion, such as thyroid disorders or vitamin deficiencies.

Mental status and neuropsychological testing

Your doctor may conduct a brief mental status test to assess your memory and other thinking skills. In addition, your doctor may suggest a more extensive assessment of your thinking and memory.

Brain imaging

Brain-imaging technologies include:

Future diagnostic tests

New tools under investigation include:

Treatment and medications

Treatment for AD affected individual includes:

Medications for AD persons includes the following:

FDA-approved drugs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved five medications (listed below) to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

Drug name Brand name Approved For FDA Approved
Donepezil Aricept All stages 1996
Galantamine Razadyne Mild to moderate 2001
Memantine Namenda Moderate to severe 2003
Rivastigmine Exelon All stages 2000
Donepezil and Memantine Namzaric Moderate to severe 2014

Prevention of alzheimer’s disease

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