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Alzheimer's Disease By Mark Richard |
| Thursday, March 5, 2009 |
What is Alzheimer's?
Alzheimer's disease is most common and important cause of dementia. Dementia is a progressive and irreversible decline of brain function, causing memory loss and effects on language and social skills.
What causes Alzheimer's disease and is at risk?
Alzheimer's disease is a condition of middle and old age, being exceptionally rare in young people. Although much is known about the cells in the brain degenerate and die during Alzheimer's disease, relatively little is known about what triggers this process. Rarely, the condition can be hereditary, but for most people there is no clear hereditary factor.
Other common causes of dementia
A number of other causes of dementia that there have to be distinguished from Alzheimer's disease, which can be partially or completely reversible.
The most common of these is "cerebrovascular dementia. This is caused by multiple small strokes (blood clots or bleeding) that affect the brain. This disease often differs from Alzheimer's disease in which progression is not continuous and gradual but occurs in a gradual manner often with periods of relative stability. The loss of memory can, however, is indistinguishable from Alzheimer's disease.
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scan should allow easy diagnosis of cerebrovascular dementia. It is important that this diagnosis was made because treatment with aspirin may help prevent the progression of symptoms.
Underactivity of the thyroid gland can mimic Alzheimer's disease and is easily diagnosed by a simple blood test. Effective treatment available, replacing the hormones normally produced by the thyroid gland.
What are the symptoms and complications of Alzheimer's disease?
The development of mental changes in Alzheimer's disease is often so slow that the sufferer and his family can not easily date of onset of first symptoms.
The gradual and progressive development of forgetfulness is often the first symptom. This is often seen as difficult to find little-used words, including names, forgetting appointments and possessions misplaced. If labor difficulties to cope with the demands of an intellectually challenging work may be the first sign of disease. As the condition progresses, the person often asks the same questions over and over again in recent memories are lost before more distant.
Speech becomes detention due to lack of remembering the word. The understanding of spoken and written language is deteriorating and the inability to speak a complete sentence is.
Mathematics, such as counting money, suffer the same fate. Other skills that are damaged are seen as the difficulty of parking, difficulty dressing or problems navigating a familiar route home. Finally, the patient loses the ability to use common objects like a knife.
Through social still intact in the early stages of the disease are lost, and habits such as dressing and bathing are neglected. There may be changes in behavior such as angry outbursts, selfishness and indifference to the feelings of others.
Finally, it neglects the power and weight loss occurs. Incontinence of urine and faeces (stool) are final features. Ultimately, the ability to stand and walk is lost, the suffering is linked bed, having to be fed and bathed. Pressure sores from the lack of movement and can develop the infection. Pneumonia is a common cause of death. The course of the disease usually extends over a period of five years or more.
How doctors recognize the disease of Alzheimer?
There is no specific or reliable tests for Alzheimer's disease. Brain scans are usually performed and show a contraction in the overall volume of the brain, but this is not specific and occurs in other forms of dementia.
The diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease depends on the structure and progression of symptoms, with specialized tests that are performed to rule out rare, but more easily treated disorder. These include blood tests for underactivity of the thyroid, vitamin deficiency and rare infections; recordings of brain electrical (electroencephalogram, EEG) must also be done, because a form of epilepsy that is easily treated can also lead to a confusing situation mimics Alzheimer's disease.
What is the treatment for Alzheimer's disease?
Unfortunately, there is still no treatment to stop or prevent the loss of brain cells is the underlying cause of Alzheimer's disease. However, much can be done at home, in hospital and specialty care centers to improve quality of life of a patient.
A new drug, called tacrine, which appears to improve memory in the previous phases of the condition, has recently become available.
What is the result of Alzheimer's disease?
There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease and the condition becomes more severe, may be less painful for the patient, but more painful for his family and friends. Everything must be done to maintain the quality of life and people close to the victim can often get a bit of carrying out simple but essential measures to ensure a decent existence.
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posted by neptunus @ 4:07 AM  |
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