Signs and Symptoms of
  Alzheimer's Disease

"Cognitive Problems for
  Alzheimer's Disease Middle Stages..."

Memory loss is one of the most common symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and that is one of the most commonly known facts about Alzheimer's.

......As you get older the brain requires more time to remember.  Your ability to concentrate is greatly diminished.

The first mild loss of memory and brain function is know as mild cognitive impairment or MCI. During this period your are able to continue with your daily activities. Sadly 48% of those with syptoms of MCI who are over 65 years of age are likely to develop Alzheimer's disease within about 5-years.  

Experts have estimated that as many as four million Americans may have Alzheimer's. It is the number three cause of death after cancer and heart disease.  People with Alzheimer's can live for years, so it is the most costly disease to care for.

30% of people over the age of 85 probably are suffering from Alzheimer's to some degree.  50% of people in living nursing homes have the disease.

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

Genetic tests are being developed that will identify individuals at greater risk for rare forms of Alzheimer's.  Those are the types of Alzheimer's that begin in when people are in their 40s and 50s.

Alzheimer's Symptoms

Alzheimer's warning signals begin subtle changes in memory function that are only noticed by family and friends.  This symptoms grow more evident over a period of weeks or months.

The symptoms may include forgetfulness, repetitiveness and difficulty getting thoughts organized.  This confusion may cause the sufferer to withdraw socially, because of the difficulty of correctly understanding the normal things going on around them.

They may no longer recognize their family or even their living enviroment.

Over time language skills diminish.  They lose the ability to perform even simple calculations or plan their activities for the day. They will need help with such simple tasks as shopping or getting dressed.

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

Depression is extremely common in the elderly as it is in Alzheimer's and that makes the disease difficult to identify.  Other shared symptoms include forgetfulness and withdrawal. If there is no apparent physical explanation for this change in behavoir, such as heart disease, arthritis or other illness, Alzheimer's can be suspected. 

Alzheimer's Treatment

There is no effective cure for Alzheimer's, but over the past few years medications have been developed that can treat symptoms. 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. As simple as it may sound high doses of vitamin E have been found to be an effective in delaying the onset of Alzheimer's.  

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

New approaches to treatment currently under development include medications that prevent beta-amyloid protein (which is thought to cause Alzheimer's) from depositing in the brain. A new radical approach involves the administration of a vaccine that stimulates the immune system to prevent deposition of beta-amyloid.

The vaccine, which showed promise in animal trials, is currently being tested on healthy human volunteers for side effects. The effectiveness of the vaccine on humans who have Alzheimer's will be tested in the future.

MRI Alzheimer's Study

One area of study being done by a medical college involves using functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify people with MCI at risk for developing Alzheimer's. MRI, which allows researchers to study brain activity as it occurs, is also being studied as a method to diagnose individuals in the early stages of Alzheimer's.

Researchers are also involved in a study to identify early-life risk factors that may predict who is likely to develop Alzheimer's. Nearly 700 nuns from the School Sisters of Notre Dame religious order were originally enrolled in the study. Researchers have been able to access the nuns' health and lifestyle records, sometimes dating to childhood.

The nuns' lifestyle excludes other potential variables such as drinking, smoking and child bearing, which can confound data obtained from studies in the population at large.

The nuns, who were age 75 years or older when enrolled in the study, have donated their brains for examination upon death. Approximately 300 of the sisters still live in mother houses around the US, where they are examined annually by medical college researchers. This research may one day help pinpoint risk factors, unrecognized today, that may cause the development of Alzheimer's disease.

There is great hope that the continued strides being made by researchers will identify more effective diagnostic and treatment approaches, and eventually, a cure.

Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer's