About Alzheimer’s Disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that affects people of all ages. At first, the symptoms are minor, but as time passes, they get more severe. Memory loss, language issues, impulsive, and unpredictable behaviour are all common symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Plaques and tangles in the brain are some of the most common symptoms. A loss of connectivity between the brain’s nerve cells, or neurons, is another symptom. People’s ability to remember recent events, reason, and recognise people they know deteriorates as the symptoms intensify. A person with Alzheimer’s disease may eventually require full-time help. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease, which means the symptoms worsen over time. Memory loss is a common symptom, and it is usually one of the first to appear. The signs and symptoms appear over months or years. If they persist for hours or days, a person should seek medical help since they could be signs of a stroke.
6 Factors to Know About Alzheimer’s Disease
1. Dementia vs Alzheimer’s: Occasionally, the terms “dementia” and “Alzheimer’s” are used interchangeably. These two situations, however, are not the same. Dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease, is a kind of Dementia. Dementia is a blanket term for various illnesses characterised by memory loss symptoms such as forgetfulness and confusion. Dementia encompasses a variety of diseases that might produce similar symptoms, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury, and others. These disorders can have a variety of causes, symptoms, and treatments.
2. Causes and risk factors: Experts have yet to pinpoint a single reason for Alzheimer’s disease, although they have discovered several risk factors, including age, gender, and ethnicity. The majority of persons who develop Alzheimer’s disease are 65 or older. History of the family, If you have a close relative who has developed the disease, you are more likely to contract it. Specific genes have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease. You do not have to have one or more of these risk factors to get Alzheimer’s disease. It simply increases your risk.
3. Connection with genetics: While there is no one cause of Alzheimer’s disease, heredity may play an influence. Apolipoprotein E is a gene connected to the emergence of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms in older people. You can find out if you have this gene by blood tests, which increases your risk of Alzheimer’s disease. It is important to remember that even if someone carries this gene, they may not develop Alzheimer’s disease. The converse is also true: even if a person does not have the gene, they can develop Alzheimer’s disease. There is no way to predict whether or whether someone would get Alzheimer’s disease. Other genes may also raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease with early-onset.
4. Symptoms: Alzheimer’s disease patients exhibit several consistent habits and symptoms that deteriorate over time. Memory loss that affects daily activities, such as the ability to remember appointments, difficulties with performing basic tasks, such as using a microwave, difficulties with problem-solving, difficulty with speech or writing, forgetting about time and place, decreased judgement, decreased personal hygiene, and personality changes are just a few examples.
5. Alzheimer’s Tests: Alzheimer’s disease does not have a reliable test. Your doctor, on the other hand, would most likely do many tests to determine your diagnosis. Mental, physical, neurological, and imaging exams are examples of these. A mental status examination may be the first step taken by your doctor. It helps them examine your short-term and long-term memory, as well as your sense of place and time. They may, for example, ask you to remember and recall terms, as well as what day it is. After that, they will most likely perform a physical examination. They might take your temperature, check your blood pressure, and examine your heart rate, for example. They may collect urine or blood samples for laboratory testing in some circumstances.
6. Alzheimer’s Medication: Alzheimer’s disease has no known treatment. On the other hand, your doctor can prescribe drugs and other therapies to help you manage your symptoms and slow the progression of the disease as much as possible. Your doctor may give donepezil (Aricept) or rivastigmine for early to moderate Alzheimer’s disease (Exelon). These medications can aid in the maintenance of high acetylcholine levels in the brain. Your doctor may prescribe donepezil or memantine to treat moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease. Excess glutamate can be cured using memantine. Glutamate is a brain substance that destroys brain cells when it is released in more significant amounts in Alzheimer’s disease.
Conclusion
Alzheimer’s disease is a complex disease with many unknowns. The problem is known to deteriorate over time, but treatment can help you avoid symptoms and improve your quality of life. If you suspect you or a loved one has Alzheimer’s disease, the first step is to consult your doctor. They can assist in making a diagnosis, discussing what to expect, and connecting you with resources and assistance. They can also provide you with information regarding clinical trials if you are interested.
