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Signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's is a terrible disease that not only makes a person incompetent, but also very hard on loved ones of the patient, as there are no medicines to help the sick. Alzheimer's is considered a senile disease characterized by rapid destruction of brain cells. This degenerative process of senile dementia, rather, one of its more common forms.

Reasons that cause Alzheimer's disease, is still unknown. There are many theories and hypotheses, but none of them confirmed. 5 % of the total population of the globe, reaching age 65, realizes this is a nasty disease. The first signs of the disease occur already for 40 years. Therefore, changes in memory and behavior must not go unnoticed: at the first sign of violations should contact a doctor.

However, often the disease is in its early stages and remains unnoticed by the family because the patient, having had the first symptoms of memory disorder, trying to hide them. But over time the disease begins to progress, and with memory loss a sense of bewilderment, anxiety. Lost ability to navigate in space, to distinguish between familiar faces are lost the old knowledge and experience.

If the time to pay attention to irregularities in the behavior of loved one and diagnosing Alzheimer's, it is possible to struggle successfully with its development for a long time.

The main symptom of the disease is memory loss, not senile forgetfulness, characteristic of most age people. Exactly the difference between the first and second described by American psychiatrist Neal Buchholz: "If you forget where you put the keys is not a disease. If you don't know what to do with keys and why they are needed is a serious problem."

First stage: predementia

The symptoms of the first stage of the disease is often confused with manifestation of aging. The first violation can be seen in about 8-10 years before accurate diagnosis. These symptoms that at first seem harmless, over time, can develop into a serious illness makes a person unemployable and helpless.

  1. There is a disorder of memory: the person is unable to remember what she learned previously and will not accept any new facts.
  2. Appear disturbances in concentration, lost the ability to plan.
  3. The person becomes apathetic, lethargic.
  4. Develop the first disruption of the brain: a person regularly repeats the same question, doing the same actions and forgets about it after a few minutes.

Second stage: early dementia

  1. Loss of short-termmemory: the person forgets recent events.
  2. From memory begin to disappear, the names of friends and loved ones.
  3. The constant repetition of the same question or the same story many times.
  4. The loss of orientation in space.
  5. Neglect of hygiene: the patient ceases to follow the personal cleanliness and order in housing.
  6. In the speech the patient uses words similar in sound but different in meaning.
  7. Distraction of attention.
  8. Loss of interest, irritability and aggressiveness.
  9. The patient forgets about the meal.
  10. The distraction: the patient forgets where he put things.

In the early stages for the patient's characteristic facial expressions of surprise: eyes wide open, an expression of astonishment.

Third stage: moderate dementia

  1. Mistakes sick loved ones, do not distinguish between relatives.
  2. May accidentally harm yourself: poison household to fall down the stairs.
  3. Ceases to distinguish your stuff from others, so it may take something, it not belonging.
  4. Constantly retells the same stories word for word, repeat the phrase and motion.
  5. Loses the ability to think logically and compare the facts.
  6. Losing the ability to read or perceive read.
  7. Behavior is inadequate: it may unnecessarily shout, to accuse of theft.
  8. Lose the sense of time does not perceive the change of seasons. Because of this, break the routine, disrupted the ability to dress for the weather.
  9. May perceive a stranger as a relative.

Late stage of the disease makes the person disabled.

Fourth stage: severe dementia

  1. The patient becomes alienated, do not know anyone.
  2. Loses the ability to speak coherently, over time, cease to speak at all.
  3. Ceases to control the processes of urination and defecation.
  4. Lose weight, the skin becomes dry, like parchment, crack.
  5. The person becomes lethargic and sleepy, he did not care.
  6. The patient is completely dependent on outside help, becomes unable to take care of yourself.

The surprising fact is that Alzheimer's disease rarely occurs in people with high intelligence. The reason for this is considered to be a greater number of neural connections between nerve cells in the brain: when the death of some cells, their functions are transferred to other, early not involved.

Another fact about the disease: most often it affects women, although the reason for its occurrence is still unclear, it is believed that the matter in greater longevity: most men rarely live up to the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Probable causes of Alzheimer's disease

With the development of degenerative processes in the brainstarts protein deposition and the formation of neurofibrillary glomeruli, which consist of damaged neurons, leading to the destruction of neural pathways.

Despite the fact that for the past century, scientists still can not establish the exact causes of the disease, they were able to identify that the disease is transmitted genetically.

Contributing factors to the symptoms

  1. Finding the patient in an unknown environment, stay alone for a long time.
  2. A meeting with a large number of people.
  3. Darkness.
  4. The disease, which lead the administration of the different drugs.
  5. Heat.

Forms of Alzheimer's disease

In the classification of Alzheimer's disease it is divided into two forms: early and late. The first corresponds to the beginning of the disease and lasts up to 65 years, and the second, which develops after 65 is a dementia type Alzheimer's disease or senile dementia.

Despite the fact that Alzheimer's disease eventually progresses to total disability, she never becomes a cause of death. Most often death occurs as a result of third-party disease, rarely due to exhaustion and insufficient patient care.

Cure for this terrible disease is not invented so far. However, if you notice signs of dementia in its early stages, in time to make an accurate diagnosis, to restrain the development of the disease can be quite long. In addition, there are a number of drugs that help to alleviate the patient's condition and stimulates the brain, and partially restore the lost neural connections. So with proper care and attention from loved ones, the patient may live several more good years, not clouded by the symptoms of the disease.