Alzheimer's disease, we've all hear of it but do we really understand the disease? According to statistics, there are about 350,000 new cases of Alzheimer's disease diagnosed each year in the United States.
Doing the math, you could have more than 4.5 million Americans by the year 2050 that would be affected by the disease. A grimmer outlook indicates that by 2025, there will be 34 million people worldwide Alzheimer’s disease.
Let's tackle the issue step by step. Alzheimer's disease is a known brain disorder that is progressive and irreversible. It is still not known where and how the disorder develops in the human brain neither is there any sure fire cure for the disease. What is known by medical scientists is that the disease attacks slowly.
It takes its time, gnawing slowly at the victims' minds stealing memories and causing deterioration of brain functions. Alzheimer's is a disease that causes irreversible dementia and is always fatal.
It was German psychiatrist Dr. Alois Alzheimer who first identified the disease. At first he noted the disease's symptoms as "amnestic writing disordear," however when later studies were conducted Dr. Alzheimer found out that the symptoms were more than ordinary memory loss. It was far worse.
Dr. Alzheimer found the presence of neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques in the brain. The good doctor presented his findings which were accepted by the medical community. And soon enough, by 1910 the name of the disease was accepted and became known as Alzheimer's disease.
The most common early symptoms of the disease are confusion, being inattentive and have problems with orientation, personality changes, experiencing short-term memory loss, language difficulties and mood swings. Probably the most obvious and striking early symptom of Alzheimer's is loss of short term memory.
At fist the victim will exhibits minor forgetfulness, but as the disease slowly progress he/she will start to forget a lot of things. However, older memories are oftentimes left untouched. Because of this, patients with Alzheimer's will start to be less energetic and spontaneous. As the disease progress, they will have trouble learning new things and reacting on outside stimuli which gets them all confused and causes them to exercise poor judgment. This is considered Stage 1 of the disease.
At Stage 2 the patient will now need assistance in performing complicated tasks. Speech and understanding is evidently slower. At this stage, Alzheimer's victims are already aware that they have the disease which causes a whole lot of problems like depression and restlessness.
At this point, only the distant past can be recalled and recent events are immediately forgotten. Patients will have difficulty telling time, date and where they are.
The final stage is of course the hardest, both for the patient and their family. At Stage 3 the patient will start to lose control of a lot of bodily functions like simple chewing and swallowing. He/she will start getting the needed nutrients through a tube. At Stage 3, the patient will no longer remember basically anyone.
They will lose bowel and bladder control and they will become vulnerable to third party infections and diseases like pneumonia.
Once the patient become bedridden, things will only get worse. Respiratory problems will become more terrible.
It is apparent that the patient will need constant care. At this point, the most one can do is to make sure that the patient stays as comfortable as possible. At the terminal stage, death is inevitable.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Alzheimers and Dementia
Alzheimers and dementia are strongly linked because Alzheimers disease is the most common type of dementia. Dementia is the constant evolution of the atrophy of the brain's cognitive functions. In the case of Alzheimers, abnormal protein build up happen in the brain which interferes with its normal functions through interactions with the brain nerves and neurotransmitters that cause these elements to whither and die.
Alzheimers and dementia are attributed with progressive memory loss and other functions that are attributed to brain deterioration. Natural brain atrophy and cognitive function loss is a normal experience by humans as we age. However, Alzheimers type of dementia is way beyond that of what is considered the norm.
Alzheimers type dementia is extremely debilitating and the disease can run its course from as fast as 5 years but some cases stretch on to 20 years. The disruption of Alzheimers type dementia can be very confusing and difficult. What's really hard to accept is that as of the moment, there are no known cures or successful treatments available for Alzheimers patients.
Of all the types of dementia, only a very tiny percentage is reversible and Alzheimers is not one of them. Once it attacks, there can be no slowing or stopping down. All one can do is be prepared for the onslaught. In this case, it is also important the patient's friends and loved one understand and know all about Alzheimers and dementia so that they too can be allowed to cope with this situation.
If you suffer from the very early stages of Alzheimers type dementia, it can be very difficult for you to accept what is happening to you while you are aware of your situation. Often times, patients can create very difficult situations for themselves as well as for the people around them. For instance, people with Alzheimers type dementia can have the same conversation with the same person over and over again without realizing it.
Perhaps a person with Alzheimers type dementia can forget that they have just previously called a loved one to tell them something only to put the phone down and call right back to talk about the exact same thing. Situations like these can cause difficulties that is why it is important for people with Alzheimers type dementia to have the proper care.
Loss of correct judgment will inadvertently follow as the Alzheimers type dementia progresses so it might be prudent for patients to be supervised all the time. Eventually, patients will have to depend exclusively on specialized care for all their needs. This makes it important for patients and their loved ones to choose the right facility for this process.
It is important that people with Alzheimers type dementia be treated with respect and dignity all throughout the duration of the disease. While the patient has not lost all ability to make judgments and remember important things, they should be consulted in terms of what facilities or type of professional care they think they would benefit from.
As a loved one of someone who has Alzheimers type dementia, it can be very hard and painful to witness the progressing of the disease. This may cause some negative emotions and a lot of grief that may be unwittingly projected at the patient.
However, at the onset of the disease, when the patient is still conscious and aware, they can go through an even more painful process of accepting their disease.
Alzheimers and dementia are attributed with progressive memory loss and other functions that are attributed to brain deterioration. Natural brain atrophy and cognitive function loss is a normal experience by humans as we age. However, Alzheimers type of dementia is way beyond that of what is considered the norm.
Alzheimers type dementia is extremely debilitating and the disease can run its course from as fast as 5 years but some cases stretch on to 20 years. The disruption of Alzheimers type dementia can be very confusing and difficult. What's really hard to accept is that as of the moment, there are no known cures or successful treatments available for Alzheimers patients.
Of all the types of dementia, only a very tiny percentage is reversible and Alzheimers is not one of them. Once it attacks, there can be no slowing or stopping down. All one can do is be prepared for the onslaught. In this case, it is also important the patient's friends and loved one understand and know all about Alzheimers and dementia so that they too can be allowed to cope with this situation.
If you suffer from the very early stages of Alzheimers type dementia, it can be very difficult for you to accept what is happening to you while you are aware of your situation. Often times, patients can create very difficult situations for themselves as well as for the people around them. For instance, people with Alzheimers type dementia can have the same conversation with the same person over and over again without realizing it.
Perhaps a person with Alzheimers type dementia can forget that they have just previously called a loved one to tell them something only to put the phone down and call right back to talk about the exact same thing. Situations like these can cause difficulties that is why it is important for people with Alzheimers type dementia to have the proper care.
Loss of correct judgment will inadvertently follow as the Alzheimers type dementia progresses so it might be prudent for patients to be supervised all the time. Eventually, patients will have to depend exclusively on specialized care for all their needs. This makes it important for patients and their loved ones to choose the right facility for this process.
It is important that people with Alzheimers type dementia be treated with respect and dignity all throughout the duration of the disease. While the patient has not lost all ability to make judgments and remember important things, they should be consulted in terms of what facilities or type of professional care they think they would benefit from.
As a loved one of someone who has Alzheimers type dementia, it can be very hard and painful to witness the progressing of the disease. This may cause some negative emotions and a lot of grief that may be unwittingly projected at the patient.
However, at the onset of the disease, when the patient is still conscious and aware, they can go through an even more painful process of accepting their disease.
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