Alzheimer

Alzheimer's is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities .Alzheimer's worsens over time. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years. In its early stages, memory loss is mild, but with late-stage Alzheimer's, individuals lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to their environment. Alzheimer's has no current cure, but treatments for symptoms are available and research continues. Although current Alzheimer's treatments cannot stop Alzheimer's from progressing, they can temporarily slow the worsening of dementia symptoms and improve quality of life .





 • DIFFERENT  STAGES  OF  ALZHEIMER'S  :-

Stage 1: Normal Outward Behavior

When your loved one is in this early phase, he won't have any symptoms that you can spot. Only a PET scan, an imaging test that shows how the brain is working, can reveal whether he's got Alzheimer's

Stage 2: Very Mild Changes

You still might not notice anything amiss in your loved one's behavior, but he may be picking up on small differences, things that even a doctor doesn't catch. This could include forgetting a word or misplacing objects.

Stage 3: Mild Decline

It's at this point that you start to notice changes in your loved one's thinking and reasoning, such as:

• Forgets something he just read
• Asks the same question over and over
• Has more and more trouble making plans or organizing
• Can't remember names when meeting new people

You can help by being your loved one's "memory" for him, making sure he pays bills and gets to appointments on time. You can also suggest he ease stress by retiring from work and putting his legal and financial affairs in order.

Stage 4: Moderate Decline

During this period, the problems in thinking and reasoning that you noticed in stage 3 get more obvious, and new issues appear. Your friend or family member might:

• Forget details about himself
• Have trouble putting the right date and amount on a check
• Forget what month or season it is
• Have trouble cooking meals or even ordering from a menu

You can help with everyday chores and his safety. Make sure he isn't driving anymore, and that someone isn't trying to take advantage of him financially.

Stage 5: Moderately Severe Decline

Your loved one might start to lose track of where he is and what time it is. He might have trouble remembering his address, phone number, or where he went to school. He could get confused about what kind of clothes to wear for the day or season.

You can help by laying out his clothing in the morning. It can help him dress by himself and keep a sense of independence.

If he repeats the same question, answer with an even, reassuring voice. He might be asking the question less to get an answer and more to just know you're there.

Even if your loved one can't remember facts and details, he might still be able to tell a story. Invite him to use his imagination at those times.

Stage 6: Severe Decline

As Alzheimer's progresses, your loved one might recognize faces but forget names. He might also mistake a person for someone else, for instance, thinking his wife is his mother. Delusions might a set in, such as thinking he needs to go to work even though he no longer has a job.

You might need to help him go to the bathroom.

It might be hard to talk, but you can still connect with him through the senses. Many people with Alzheimer's love hearing music, being read to, or looking over old photos.

Stage 7: Very Severe Decline

Many basic abilities in a person with Alzheimer's, such as eating, walking, and sitting up, fade during this period. You can stay involved by feeding your loved one with soft, easy-to-swallow food, helping him use a spoon, and making sure he drinks. This is important, as many people at this stage can no longer tell when they're thirsty

 • SYMPTOMS :-

Memory loss is the key symptom of Alzheimer's disease. An early sign of the disease is usually difficulty remembering recent events or conversations. As the disease progresses, memory impairments worsen and other symptoms develop.

At first, a person with Alzheimer's disease may be aware of having difficulty with remembering things and organizing thoughts. A family member or friend may be more likely to notice how the symptoms worsen.

Brain changes associated with Alzheimer's disease lead to growing trouble with:

• Repeat statements and questions over and over
• Forget conversations, appointments or events, and not remember them later
• Routinely misplace possessions, often putting them in illogical locations
• Get lost in familiar places
• Eventually forget the names of family members and everyday objects
• Have trouble finding the right words to identify objects, express thoughts or take part in conversations
• The ability to make reasonable decisions and judgments in everyday situations will decline
• Person may make poor or uncharacteristic choices in social interactions or wear clothes that are inappropriate for the weather.
• Alzheimer's disease causes difficulty concentrating and thinking, especially about abstract concepts such as numbers.
• Once-routine activities that require sequential steps, such as planning and cooking a meal or playing a favorite game, become a struggle as the disease progresses.
• Depression
• Apathy
• Social withdrawal
• Mood swings
• Distrust in others
• Irritability and aggressiveness
• Changes in sleeping habits
• Wandering
• Loss of inhibitions
• Delusions, such as believing something has been stolen

     • CAUSES :-

      Alzheimer's disease is caused by a combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental           factors that affect the brain over time.

 1.     Less than 1 percent of the time, Alzheimer's is caused by specific genetic changes                that    virtually guarantee a person will develop the disease. These rare occurrences              usually  result   in disease onset in middle age.

    2. The exact causes of Alzheimer's disease aren't fully understood, but at its core are                problems with brain proteins that fail to function normally, disrupt the work of brain               cells (  neurons) and unleash a series of toxic events. Neurons are damaged, lose                 connections         to   each other and eventually die.

    3. The damage most often starts in the region of the brain that controls memory, but the            process begins years before the first symptoms. The loss of neurons spreads in a                  somewhat predictable pattern to other regions of the brains. By the late stagea of the            disease, the brain has shrunk significantly.

     4. There are more women with the disease because they generally live longer than me

     5. Many people with Down syndrome develop Alzheimer's disease

     6.People who've had a severe head trauma have a greater risk of Alzheimer's disease.

     7. People who have poor sleep patterns, such as difficulty falling asleep or                                 staying asleep, are associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.

     8. The  focus is on the role of two proteins that disrupts the brain functions. Is also                     responsible for alzheimer 

• Plaques. Beta-amyloid is a leftover fragment of a larger protein. When these fragments cluster together, they appear to have a toxic effect on neurons and to disrupt cell-to-cell communication. These clusters form larger deposits.
• Tangles. Tau proteins play a part in a neuron's internal support and transport system to carry nutrients and other essential materials. In Alzheimer's disease, tau proteins change shape and organize themselves into structures called neurofibrillary tangles. The tangles disrupt the transport system and are toxic to cells.

      

   • TREATMENT :-

• Some medications help control or delay symptoms for a time, particularly in the early stages of the disease.

• Other drug treatments can help manage mental or emotional health symptoms like depression or agitation.

• Behavioral or environmental strategies—actions that can help reduce stress in a patient’s daily activities, for example—may reduce anxiety and manage conditions without medical intervention.

      • Four of the approved drugs work by addressing the low levels in Alzheimer’s                 patients of acetylcholine, an important brain chemical. The medications slow                 down  this chemical breakdown, which in turn may slow down the progression of           cognitive  symptoms.

       The drugs are:

• Aricept® (donepezil)
• Exelon® (rivastigmine)
• Cognex® (tacrine)
• Razadyne® (galantamine)