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About Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer's is a disease of the brain. Strange proteins add up and make the brain cells in charge of behavior, walking, and cognitive skills die. The loss of brain cells is linked with strange clumps of protein in the brain. These are called amyloid plaques. They are also called neurofibrillary tangles. There is also a lower level of brain chemicals that carry messages back and forth between nerve cells.

Alois Alzheimer first saw Alzheimer's in 1906. People died at a much younger age then. Alzheimer's was not seen a lot. Alzheimer's disease is more popular today because people live longer. Most people who are 65 years and older may have some memory loss. This is considered a normal part of aging.

What is the difference between normal memory loss and Alzheimer's disease? There is no test that can give a true answer to this question. There are different degrees of memory loss. It's normal to forget where you put your keys. The problem is when you forget what the keys are used for. You may hear older adults complain about their forgetfulness. You may see that it is happening a lot. A person may have constant memory loss but no problem thinking. They may have something called 'mild cognitive impairment'. Many people can live on their own. Most see the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

The first sign of Alzheimer's disease is forgetfulness. It will affect language, behavior, reasoning and understanding. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. A doctor can do a test called the Mini Mental Status Exam. This test checks a person's orientation, recall, language, and attention. Tests such as a MRI or PET scan can rule out the chance of stroke. Other diseases are ruled out by lab tests. These tests can help find out if Alzheimer's may be the cause for the person's memory loss. There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease. There are just treatments. Currently there are several pills that work to slow down the disease.

Stages of Alzheimer's Disease

Doctors will try to figure out which stage of the disease Alzheimer patients are in. The following is a list of signs that are seen in different stages:

Stage 1: Mild Alzheimer's disease (lasts 2-4 years)

• Repetition
• Get lost easily
• Lose interest in things
• Trouble finding names for common items
• Lose things more often than normal
• Personality changes/Mood swings
• Some memory loss
• Poor judgement

Stage 2: Moderate Alzheimer's disease (lasts 2-10 years)

• Speech slows down
• Difficulty with simple daily activities such as dressing
• Argue
• Restlessness
• Irritability
• Believe things are real when they are not
• Pace about
• Often require close supervision
• Display anxiety or depression
• Remembers past but not recent events

Stage 3: Severe Alzheimer's disease (lasts 1-3 years)

• Inability to use or understand words
• Unable to recognize who they are when they look in the mirror
• Unable to recognize family members
• Needs constant care
• Loses bowel and bladder control
• Vulnerable to illnesses such as pneumonia