Alzheimer's Disease: Causes, Symptoms, Tips to Tackle and More

Table of Content

• What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

• Why is the disease called Alzheimer's Disease?

• Causes of Alzheimer's Disease

• What are the Types of Alzheimer’s Disease?

• What are the symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease?

• What is life for a person with Alzheimer's Disease?

• What are the warning signs experienced by people with Alzheimer's disease?

• Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease

• Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

• Managing behavior changes

• Lifestyle tips to prevent Alzheimer's Disease

• Take-Home Points

• FAQ on Alzheimer's Disease

Introduction

Alzheimer’s disease adversely affects cognition (memory and thinking). According to a study, published in Nature Reviews Neurology, the cases of this brain disorder will rise in the coming decades in India. This is because Indians have a high incidence of diabetes, hypertension and obesity problems. These adversely impact not only the onset but also the progression of dementia.

What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder in which there is an abnormal deposition of naturally occurring proteins (beta-amyloid 42) that clump together to form plaques. These plaques collect between neurons and disturb their functioning. 

These abnormal deposits of protein form amyloid plaques and tau tangles throughout the brain.

The disease slowly destroys memory, and the person cannot perform routine daily activities. In addition, the person loses thinking skills slowly in this disease.

Alzheimer's disease, a type of dementia, is very common among older adults. In this disease, the connection between the brain neurons is lost.

Why is the disease called Alzheimer's Disease?

The disease name has a history. It is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer.

In the year 1906, he noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who died due to an unusual mental illness. The behavior of this woman was unpredictable and she had the problem of memory loss. She had language problems also.

Dr. Alois Alzheimer noticed abnormal clumps in her brain and tangled bundles of fibers.

These abnormal clumps are called amyloid plaques, and these tangled bundles of fibers are called tau tangles.

Causes of Alzheimer's Disease

According to CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the following are known about Alzheimer's disease:

• Age

• Cardiovascular, high BP and high cholesterol

• Diabetes

• Smoking

• Obesity 

• Depression 

• Head injury

• Genetics: POE ε4 increase Alzheimer’s risk. Late-onset Alzheimer's, one of the types of Alzheimer's disease, may be associated with this gene. However, some people with no APOE ε4 also develop Alzheimer’s. Most people with Down syndrome are at risk of developing Alzheimer’s due to an extra copy of chromosome 21, which contains the gene that produces harmful amyloid. There is an increased risk of early-onset Alzheimer's due to trisomy of Chromosome 21.

These are the important causes of Alzheimer's disease.

What are the Types of Alzheimer’s Disease?

There are two types of Alzheimer’s disease:

• Late-onset type in which symptoms appear in the mid-60s

• Early-onset type in which the symptoms appear between the age of 30 to 60 years

What are the symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease?

Initially, memory problems take place, but later, as other parts of the cerebral cortex are affected, there are changes in language, reasoning, and social behavior.

The person cannot find the right words, has impaired judgment, and has vision issues.

The person affected with Alzheimer's has difficulty performing the most straightforward task of daily routine activities. Alzheimer's symptoms are:

• The person cannot drive a car

• Trouble in cooking

• Trouble in handling money

• Judgment is poor

• Mood changes

• Ask the same question many times

• The person has so much confusion 

• Wandering 

• The patient may experience worries and anger, and at times they may be violent due to the disease progression.

• Problems recognising friends and family

• Impulsive behavior

• The person cannot communicate

• Hallucinations

• Mood swings

• Anxiety 

In the early stage of Alzheimer's dementia, a person can also drive and work with involvement in social activities. But he or she may experience that they forget words that are familiar to them or they forget the location of everyday objects.

The moderate stage of Alzheimer's dementia is the longest stage, and the difficulty begins with activities like paying bills. There is a beginning of difficulty in communication. Routine activities started getting affected in a way that the person could not manage medication. He or she may have difficulty taking a bath and getting dressed. The person does not remember the phone number. There is confusion about the days of the week. The person finds it difficult to recognise the friend and the family. Sleep is disturbed. The person needs help in self-care, like bathing and grooming. There may be depression and anxiety. The person may develop urinary incontinence.

The final stage is severe because more neurons involved in cognition and physical function are damaged. Due to this, the ability of the person to respond to the environment is lost. There is almost total memory loss and the person is not aware of the surroundings. At this stage, the person needs help in all the activities like eating, sitting, and walking. The ability to communicate is lost, and speech becomes limited to a few words. At this stage, there is an increased risk of Pneumonia and skin infections.

Alzheimer's symptoms depend on mild, moderate, and severe stages.

What is life for a person with Alzheimer's Disease?

After the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, the person can live from 4 to 8 years. Then, based on other factors, he can live for 20 years.

What are the warning signs experienced by people with Alzheimer's disease?

• They may forget events and start relying on sticky notes and reminders so they do not forget.

• These people find it challenging to pay bills and cook recipes; these are those activities they may be doing for many years.

• There are problems with driving, shopping, and using cell phones.

• There is the confusion of time and place.

• There may be difficulties in balancing and judging distance, they may drop things more often.

• They may struggle to find a proper word for completing a sentence.

• They pay less attention to hygiene.

• They don’t want to become a part of social activity

• There may be changes in their mood and behavior, like they get upset quickly or they are fearful.

Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease

The diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is made by the following:

• Status of general health

• Medical history.

• Medication history

• Ability to carry out routine daily activities.

• Mood and behavior changes

• Neurological exam.

• Mental status examination

• Brain CT

• MRI

What is the age of Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease?

The age of diagnosis is the mid-60s and above (late symptoms) and 30 to 60 years (early symptoms)

Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease.

Treatment considerations included are:

• Management of behavioral symptoms

• Helping patients maintain brain health

• To slow or delay the disease symptoms.

• Medications 

Medications: Two types of drugs are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat Alzheimer's disease.

• Cholinesterase inhibitors.

• NMDA antagonists.

The first disease-modifying therapy approved by the FDA to treat Alzheimer's is Aducanumab. This reduces amyloid deposits in the brain, which plays a vital role in slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease. 

Managing behavior changes

If your loved one is suffering from Alzheimer, then it is essential to know ways to keep the environment suitable for the patient.

Make sure you do not change anything like room design, layout, and arrangements in their living space. It is crucial to make the patient feel comfortable, and this can be done by providing them with an object they love, like a pet, a dress, etc.

If you find the patient stressed, it is essential to divert their attention.

To manage behavioral symptoms, no specific treatment is available yet. However, the following medications are used:

• Antidepressants: To treat anxiety and depression.

• Anti-anxiety drugs:  To treat agitation.

• Anticonvulsant drugs: To treat aggression.

• Antipsychotics: To treat hallucinations.

Lifestyle tips to prevent Alzheimer's Disease

It is vital to protect your brain from cognitive decline, and the role of a healthy lifestyle is essential here.

Some of the strategies to reduce the risk of developing  Alzheimer’s disease are:

To keep the brain healthy, seven strategies are important:

• First, eat healthy to stay healthy.

• Physical activity

• Mental exercises

• Good sleep

• No alcohol

• No smoking 

• Being socially active

Eat healthy to stay healthy: It is important to take green leafy vegetables and fruits, less salt, less sugar, and healthy fats. The Mediterranean diet is considered to be the healthier diet.

Physical activity: Doing exercise daily ensures that enough blood and oxygen reaches your brain. In addition, you should wear a helmet when required to reduce the risk of head injury.

Mental exercises: Some of the mental exercises are puzzles, solving maths, reading, chess, computer games, gardening, bingo, joining clubs, embroidery, hanging out with friends, meditation, and yoga.

Being socially active: Talking with friends, sharing knowledge, community discussions, clubs, etc., makes you engage socially.

The latest research on Alzheimer's disease: The biomarkers are under research to identify people at risk of Alzheimer's disease by detecting early brain changes.

Take-Home Points

• Family members' role is important in caring for those suffering from Alzheimer's disease. It is very important to be aware of the disease stages because it decides the type of emotional, physical, and mental support needed by the patient. 

• Always prioritize your brain use. It is very beneficial to have the urge to learn something new.

References

• Changing demography and the challenge of dementia in India

• Support for families and Alzheimer's disease caregivers

• www.nia.nih.gov