8. What are the stages in the development of Alzheimer's disease? Alzheimer's develops slowly, starting with mild memory problems and ending in death. The course the disease takes and how fast changes occur vary from person to person.
The symptoms often progress through these stages: mild, moderate, and severe.
Signs of mild Alzheimer's can include:
- * memory loss
- * confusion about the location of familiar places
- * taking longer to accomplish normal daily tasks
- * trouble handling money and paying bills
- * poor judgment leading to bad decisions
- * loss of spontaneity and sense of initiative
- * mood and personality changes
- * increased Anxiety
Signs of moderate Alzheimer's can include:
- * increasing memory loss and confusion
- * shortened attention span
- * problems recognizing friends and family members
- * difficulty with language, including problems with reading and writing
- * difficulty working with numbers
- * difficulty organizing thoughts and thinking logically
- Signs of moderate Alzheimer's can also include:
- * inability to learn new things or cope with new or unexpected situations
- * restlessness, agitation, anxiety, tearfulness
- * wandering -- especially in the late afternoon or at night
- * repetitive statements or movement, occasional muscle twitches
- * hallucinations and delusions, suspiciousness or paranoia, irritability
- * loss of impulse control
- * perceptual-motor problems
Symptoms of severe Alzheimer's include
- * Inability to recognize family or loved ones
- * Inability to communicate
- * loss of sense of self
- * weight loss
- * seizures, skin infections, difficulty swallowing
- * groaning, moaning, or grunting
- * increased sleeping
- * lack of Bladder and bowel control
- * total dependence on the caregiver
9. What other conditions have symptoms like Alzheimer's disease?
Tumors, strokes, severe Depression, thyroid problems, medication side effects, nutritional disorders, and certain diseases can all have effects that mimic those of Alzheimer's disease. Early diagnosis increases the chances of treating these conditions successfully.
10. Is misplacing your keys a normal part of aging or could it be a symptom of Alzheimer's disease?
Problems with memory may be due to a variety of factors. It is normal for people of all ages occasionally to forget names, appointments, or where they put their keys. Such memory problems may result from Stress, distractions, grief, Fatigue, poor vision or hearing, use of alcohol, an illness, or trying to remember too many details at once.
Depression also may cause poor concentration, sleep disturbance, or other symptoms that lead to forgetfulness in people who do not have Alzheimer's disease. A decline in short-term memory that sometimes accompanies aging is called age-associated memory loss. In many people, it does not lead to Alzheimer's disease.
People with early-stage Alzheimer's disease often experience forgetfulness. They may have constant trouble remembering recent events, activities, or the names of familiar people or things. Memory loss that is associated with Alzheimer's disease interferes with activities of daily living.
11. Do we know what causes Alzheimer's disease?
Scientists do not yet fully understand what causes Alzheimer's disease. However, it is clear that Alzheimer's disease develops when a complex series of events in the brain gradually causes nerve cells in the brain to stop working and die.
Age is the most important known risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.
12. Are there any steps I can take to prevent Alzheimer's?
There are no treatments, drugs, or pills that can prevent Alzheimer's disease, but people can take some steps that may reduce their risk. These include:
* lowering Cholesterol and homocysteine levels
* lowering high blood pressure levels
* controlling Diabetes
* exercising regularly
* engaging in activities that stimulate the mind
* A healthy diet is important. Although no special diets or nutritional supplements have been found to prevent or reverse Alzheimer's disease, a balanced diet helps maintain overall good health.
Research hasn't proven that these steps will lower the risk for Alzheimer's, and studies designed to directly test their ability to do so are currently in progress. However, all of these things are good to do anyway because they lower the risk for other diseases and help maintain and improve your overall health and well-being.
13. If a member of my family has Alzheimer's disease, am I at increased risk for developing it?
Two types of Alzheimer's disease exist: early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease or FAD, and late-onset Alzheimer's disease.
Early-onset FAD is a rare, inherited form of the disease that occurs between age 30 and 60. Several members of the same generation of a family are often affected.
In late-onset Alzheimer's disease, which most often occurs after age 65, there is no obvious family pattern in most cases. Late-onset Alzheimer's disease develops for reasons that scientists are still trying to determine.
Age is the most important known risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. Having a family member with Alzheimer's disease does increase the risk for developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease, but by no means guarantees that you will develop the disease.
14. What other risk factors, beside genetics, may contribute to developing Alzheimer's disease?
Scientists still need to learn a lot more about causes and risk factors. In addition to genetics, they are studying education, diet, environment, and molecular changes in the brain to learn what role they might play in the development of this disease.
Scientists are finding more clues that some of the risk factors for heart disease and Stroke -- such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and low levels of the vitamin folate -- may also increase the risk of Alzheimer's. Researchers are also investigating the possibility that physical, mental and social factors may protect against Alzheimer's.
15. Do men or women have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease?
Age is the most important known risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. This means the longer people live, the more likely they are to develop the disease. Since women have longer life spans than men, they have a higher lifetime risk of developing Alzheimer's.
