Alzheimer’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease are names for a distinctive and typical disease of old age. The older people become the higher the chance of developing this disease. Typical signs of Alzheimer’s are memory lapses, personality changes and a general decrease in mental capacity.
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
One of the main signs of Alzheimer’s disease is the accumulation of amyloid plaques (shown in yellow) between neurons (shown in blue) in the brain. Click to enlarge. Alzheimer’s disease is also commonly referred to as dementia of the Alzheimer type (Alzheimer’s dementia) and Alzheimer’s disease. However, all terms have in common that this disease is the deterioration of mental performance. In addition, Alzheimer’s is characterized by memory weakness. This increases as the disease progresses and ultimately leads to a complete loss of personality and judgment.
Causes
A combination of hereditary factors, inflammatory processes, as well as environmental influences is believed to be the cause of Alzheimer’s disease. According to current medical knowledge, the disease develops through a slow progressive death of nerve cells in the brain. The reason are damaging deposits, so-called amyloids. These presumably impede the communication of nerve cells in certain areas of the brain. The changes begin long before the first symptoms appear. It is assumed that certain influences can promote Alzheimer’s. These include, for example:
- In the course of life more severe brain damage
- Heavy nicotine use
- High blood pressure
- Arteriosclerosis
- Unhealthy diet
- Hypothyroidism
Alzheimer’s disease can basically affect anyone. However, the risk increases with age. However, some factors can be excluded by a healthy lifestyle. According to recent studies¹, smokers in particular are at high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Both long-term smokers and former smokers have been found to have these negative effects on the brain. The risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease is twice as high in smokers as in non-smokers. Furthermore, the mental abilities of smokers begin to decline sharply from the age of 50, whereas in non-smokers significant impairment of mental activities is not observed until 20 years later. ¹ University College London Whitehall II Study 2012.
Symptoms, complaints, and signs
The symptoms that occur in Alzheimer’s dementia are manifold. However, some typical signs can be identified with close observation. Suspicion of Alzheimer’s disease arises in most elderly people because of their noticeable forgetfulness. Without the affected person noticing it, the nerve cell processes and connections within the brain die off over a period of years. As the disease progresses, the nerve cells themselves are also affected, resulting in the decline of brain tissue. Depending on which area of the brain is damaged, there is a decline in the abilities and functions there. This is noticeable in short-term memory, judgment, language and the ability to perform routine tasks. The affected person’s behavior, communication, emotions and recognition abilities also suffer from dementia. Medical science divides Alzheimer’s disease into early, middle and late stages. These stages can occur over a period of several years. Initially, mood swings, memory problems and loss of performance capacity occur. In addition, the patient no longer expresses himself precisely and reduces his social contacts. In the middle stage, the intellectual performance losses progress further and the psyche and personality of the affected person change increasingly. In addition, the patient needs help with everyday tasks. In the late stage, the patient can no longer manage without outside help. Furthermore, physical symptoms such as the loss of bladder and bowel functions, falls, seizures and swallowing disorders become apparent. There is also a risk of fatal infections.
Course
Alzheimer’s disease does not progress in the same way in all patients. The course is usually characterized by three stages.1st phase: In the early phase of the disease, patients often feel tired, listless and powerless. They suffer from mood swings and lose spontaneity. The first slight memory disorders appear. In addition, the patients react more slowly and shy away from new things. Nevertheless, those affected are only slightly impaired in their activities at this stage. Independent living without help is still possible. 2nd phase: Alzheimer’s sufferers can only manage their daily lives to a limited extent.
- Mental loss increases
- Increased occurrence of behavioral changes, speech difficulties and forgetfulness.
- Memory loss progresses
- Delusions possibly appearing
- Recognition disorders
- Difficulty in performing simple tasks, for example, in the household.
- Neglect of hygiene
Even at this stage, help from caregivers or relatives is useful and necessary. Work should be done to ensure that Alzheimer’s patients can perform activities of daily living independently for as long as possible. ß-amyloid peptides are found as deposits in the brain and blood vessels of Alzheimer’s patients. Medical experts believe that treatment against ß-amyloids would improve the symptoms of this disease. Click to enlarge. Stage 3: At this stage, the disease has progressed to the point where the sufferer is dependent on constant care and assistance. The course of the disease in the third stage is characterized by:
- Memory and speech decay
- Complete loss of daily living skills
- Recognition disorders even in close caregivers.
- Difficulty eating and swallowing
- Bladder and fecal incontinence
In this last severe phase, Alzheimer’s patients usually have only the innate reflexes. This means that instinct and feelings are present. A loving and understanding and caring care contributes greatly to the well-being of patients, so that they still feel happy and secure.
When should you go to the doctor?
Alzheimer’s disease should be treated by an appropriate doctor as early as possible, so that this phenomenon can be effectively counteracted. The first signs of Alzheimer’s are usually the loss of recent memories. Affected persons suffering from Alzheimer’s disease will suffer from small memory lapses at the beginning. Initial measures should be taken at this stage so that the disease can be delayed as much as possible. In such a case, the person’s memory must be stimulated to work again. Appropriate medication can also be used to effectively combat and inhibit this disease. However, those who forgo appropriate treatment with the right medications in the case of Alzheimer’s disease run the risk of a more rapidly progressing disease. The symptoms or the forgetfulness will worsen immensely, so that the respective person will not be able to recall even memories in the long-term memory. Formative events of one’s own biography are thus no longer retrievable. Unfortunately, according to the current state of medicine, there is no complete cure for Alzheimer’s disease. However, the disease can be delayed for a long time, so that the affected person’s life is made as comfortable as possible. For this reason, medical help should be sought immediately at the first signs of Alzheimer’s.
Treatment and therapy
Alzheimer’s therapy is divided into two different approaches. On the one hand, the drug treatment, on the other hand, the non-drug measures. In drug therapy, there are two substance groups to choose from, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and memantine. Therapy with these drugs has a very positive effect on patients, who are often able to participate more actively in everyday life again. However, to treat Alzheimer’s efficiently, a combination of drug and non-drug treatment is necessary. Non-drug measures always have the goal of maintaining the patient’s independence as long as possible and thus delaying the need for care. Alzheimer’s patients are supported mentally and physically through various therapeutic measures. However, Alzheimer’s disease is still not completely curable.You can only slow them down.
Outlook and prognosis
The course of Alzheimer’s disease can vary from patient to patient. However, the prognosis is similar for those affected. Alzheimer’s disease progresses insidiously and leads to death within eight to ten years on average. The actual cause of death is usually concomitant diseases such as pneumonia or blood poisoning triggered by pressure ulcers as a result of being confined to bed. Patients are usually dependent on help and care relatively quickly after diagnosis and often develop psychological complaints as a result of this burden. Only in a small proportion of patients can the loss of health be temporarily halted. Through comprehensive medicinal and psychosocial measures, it is nowadays possible to temporarily stabilize brain performance and to restore a sense of control to those affected. However, this is only possible in the early stages. As the disease progresses, the weakened immune system causes accompanying symptoms that eventually lead to death. Thus, there is no prospect of complete recovery from Alzheimer’s disease. However, modern therapeutic measures can slow the progression of the disease and allow those affected to continue living a relatively normal life.
Aftercare
Alzheimer’s disease progresses in different phases. It is characterized by progression, whereby patients eventually reach a complete need for care. This progression can be brief or take several years. Once the disease has been diagnosed, it must be accepted. It is not curable. This means that follow-up care, as is usual with other ailments, cannot have the function of preventing a recurrence. Doctors, on the other hand, try to eliminate complications and support patients in their daily lives. To this end, continuous follow-up care takes place after a diagnosis. The attending physician regularly prescribes medication, the dosage of which he adjusts to the state of the disease. He also prescribes psychosocial training such as occupational therapy and physiotherapy. The intervals at which a patient must present themselves are agreed individually. During follow-up examinations, doctors rely primarily on the accounts of relatives and friends. They notice mental changes most intensively. Their practical descriptions are usually more meaningful than the snapshot of an examination. Patients often have to take small mental tests during the consultation. Neuropsychological procedures have been developed for this purpose. To rule out other diseases, some physicians also order an MRI or a CT scan. Even blood tests are informative and common.
Here’s what you can do yourself
Self-help plays a role in Alzheimer’s, especially at the beginning of the disease. People with advanced dementia often require more care or support. The demands that arise from this can no longer be adequately met with simple measures. In order to better cope with memory problems in everyday life, reminder aids can be used. For example, a small note on the bathroom mirror can remind people to take their medication. To ensure that no tablet is taken twice, fixed medications can be filled into a weekly dispenser. Whether the person affected can take on this task themselves or whether help from a second person is necessary depends on the individual case. A weekly dispenser is a medication box with different compartments, each assigned to a day of the week. In the case of memory problems, many affected persons are uncertain whether they have already taken a tablet or not. However, if the corresponding tablet is missing from the dispenser, it is easy to see that it has already been taken. However, independent use of a weekly dispenser or similar aid presupposes that the person concerned is not suffering from severe confusion and is aware, for example, of which day of the week it is and which tablets to take and when. Special attention should also be paid to regular drinking and eating in Alzheimer’s patients. Under certain circumstances, small reminders can also be sufficient here if the person affected is still very fit in everyday life. Otherwise, it makes sense for relatives to regularly remind the person to drink and eat.
