Alzheimers Disease Symptoms

"Understanding Confusion and Memory Loss..."

...Memory loss is one of the most common Alzheimers disease syptoms.

It is normal in the aging process for the brains of the elderly to require more time to recall memories. 

Additionally, they generally lose at least some of their ability to concentrate. The first mild loss of memory and brain function is known as mild cognitive impairment or MCI.

MCI may not affect the elderly person's daily activities to any great degree, but sadly, 48% of those with symptoms of MCI who are over 65 years of age are likely to develop Alzheimer's within about 5-years. 

4-Million Americans 

It is estimated that as many as four million Americans may have Alzheimer's. It is the most common cause of death after cancer and heart disease.  Because a patient with Alzheimer's can live for years and require a great deal of attention, it is the most costly disease to care for.

The best guess is that 30% of the population over the age of 85 has Alzheimer's.  It's not surprising that 50% of the people residing in nursing homes have the disease.

There is no easy test to help in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's. Doctors identify the disease with a comprehensive clinical evaluation.  This procedure includes a detailed medical study of the patient's behavioral, social and family history.

There is good news!  Genetic tests are being researched that will identify those individuals at greater risk for rare forms of Alzheimer's.  This early risk group is in their 40s and 50s. 

Alzheimers Disease Symptoms

The symptoms start with subtle changes in memory function that are only noticed by family and friends over a period of weeks or months. The symptoms may include forgetfulness, repetitiveness and difficulty getting their thoughts organized. 

This confusion may cause the patient to withdraw socially, because of the difficulty of processing that which is going on around them. They no longer recognize family or even their living environment.

Time passes and language skills diminish.  They lose the ability to perform even simple calculations or plan their activities for the day. The burden falls on family members to carry out simple every day tasks such as bathing and dressing.

The person with Alzheimer's becomes a serious burden on those responsible for their care.  It's not uncommon that a family member is forced to give up their employment and provide full time care.  That's especially true if the family can not afford an Alzheimer's oriented living facility for the patient.

Alzheimer's also has a serious effect on the caregiver's health.  When compared to other people in the same age group, those caring for an Alzheimer's patient visit a doctor 70% more often.  They are 50% more likely to suffer periods of depression, and they use 40% more prescribed medication.

Alzheimer's is not easy to diagnose. Depression is extremely common in completely normal and healthy elderly individuals, as it is with a person beginning to suffer from Alzheimer's.  Other shared symptoms include forgetfulness and withdrawal. Provided there is no physical explanation for the change in behavior, such as heart disease, arthritis or other illness, Alzheimer's can be suspected.  Then it's time to have the sufferer evaluated by a doctor. 

Alzheimer's Treatment

Currently there is no cure for Alzheimer's. Over the last few years medications have been developed that can treat symptoms of the disease. Some of these medications are designed to treat behavioral symptoms.

Those include agitation, restlessness and hallucinations.  Medications such as Aricept and Exelon, may delay the development of Alzheimer's and aid in maintaining normal cognitive function for an extended period of time, but they are not cures.

 As basic as it may sound high doses of vitamin E have been found to be an effective treatment in the delaying process..  

Medical researchers are hard at work on new medications to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's. One area of progress is with medications that prevent beta-amyloidal protein from being deposited in the brain.  This protein is considered to be a cause of the disease. 

Still another development involves a vaccine that stimulates the immune system to prevent deposition of beta-amyloidal. The vaccine has shown promise in animal trials. 

Now it must demonstrative its effectiveness with healthy human volunteers with a minimum of side effects. After that, actual Alzheimer's patients will test the vaccine.

One must be cautious with the elderly.  Don't' mistake the normal memory loss of the elderly as a sure symptom of Alzheimer's.  Leave that to the medical professionals.  Don't hurry the need for transfer to Alzhiemer's care units.

Alzheimers Disease symptoms