Alzheimer's disease is a common disease and a major cause of death among the elderly today.
German physician, Alois Alzheimer, was the first to identify Alzheimer's disease in 1907. So far,
the cause of the disease and any cure for it are unknown.
Until recently, diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease was very difficult. The symptoms are similar to
natural old age and were often lightly passed over as ‘old age syndrome’.
Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease
Although there is no permanent cure for Alzheimer's disease, the best way to prevent it is through
early detection. Some common early symptoms of this disease are:
• Difficulty or being unsure while performing routine jobs
• Changes in behavioral patterns like becoming violent or abusive
• Family history of the disease
• Unable to use proper and simple language or common terms in daily conversation
• Unable to remember recent events but easily remember long ago events.
• Misplacing things and keeping them in the most unusual places
• Becoming lost in your own home or street and unable to locate your own home
A person with Alzheimer's disease can become disoriented as they lose their normal reasoning
and power of judgment. They are unable to function independently. Managing daily activities
slowly becomes ever more difficult. Their ability to analyze events and communicate with those
around them can deteriorate significantly, which causes marked changes in their personality.
How does Alzheimer's Affect Brain Functioning?
Often, brain autopsies of Alzheimer’s patients reveal certain abnormalities. The brain shows
growth and entanglement of abnormal fibers with brain tissue filaments. These could be the cause
behind various senile patches of degenerated nerve endings. This damage interferes with the
normal transmission of brain impulses through the different parts and cells of the brain.
The brain is damaged by Alzheimer's disease. It affects people of any age group, although it is
more common among people in their sixties.
Alzheimer's disease is progressive, but the rate of progress differs between individuals. Some
succumb to the disease within a few years of diagnosis while others live with it for up to two
decades. Severe brain damage can cause death in an otherwise healthy person.
Here are more articles on Alzheimers:
Alzheimers-and-Parkinsons-Disease-Is-There-A-Link
Alzheimers-Treatment-For-More-Happy-Normal-and-Vibrant-Years
Interesting-and-Useful-Facts-Concerning-Dementia
Interpersonal-Communication-and-Alzheimers
stages-of-alzheimers-disease
The-Truth-About-Senior-Moments
It's
a good bet that you, like the rest of us, have forgotten something then
jokingly said, "it must be old-timers disease."