Alzheimer’s – What is it, Causes and Treatments!
Alzheimer’s – What is it, Causes and Treatments, learn about the particularities of this very worrying neurodegenerative disease of unknown cause. In addition, the Alzheimer ‘s issue is serious and, unfortunately, the consequences are even more serious.
With the arrival of the Alzheimer ‘s diagnosis , worries and afflictions also come, after all, no cure has yet been discovered to contain Alzheimer’s . However, small day-to-day actions can prevent and even control Alzheimer’s , which usually affects people in the elderly, over 60 years old.
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Characterized by the decrease in brain functions, Alzheimer ‘s begins with the reduction of the so-called “short memory”, that is, the one in which it is possible to remember the most basic functions of everyday life, such as turning off the fire of a pan, removing the iron from the socket, among other situations.
Alzheimer ‘s starts slowly, with memory loss being the main symptom. This memory loss affects recent information (the patient can remember his childhood, but does not remember what he ate or where he went yesterday), Alzheimer’s interferes with daily activities, makes the patient repeat the same thing several times.
Because of this, preventive actions against Alzheimer’s must be inserted into daily life and, if Alzheimer ‘s is already installed, the necessary care must be followed to the letter, so that the quality of life of the Alzheimer ‘s patient is not too impaired.
What Happens: When a person has Alzheimer’s , progressive loss of brain mass occurs, as does the death of nerve cells. In this way, all bodily functions are affected, from the simplest to the most complex.
As a result of Alzheimer’s , the ventricles (as the brain’s natural spaces are called) increase in size, creating several larger-than-normal cavities. Added to this, accumulated proteins end up joining the remaining nerve cells, a factor that is being studied by scientists as a possible cause of the aggressiveness and advancement of Alzheimer’s .
Little by little, the patient with Alzheimer ‘s loses the awareness of its own functions, the brain, as commander of the complex machine called the human body, leaves aside the custom of giving orders. In the last stage of Alzheimer’s , the patient tends to depend on other people for everything, until the moment in which no mechanism of the organism starts to function properly, between the initial diagnosis and his death, it is estimated from eight to ten years of coexistence. with Alzheimer’s .
Discovering Alzheimer’s: In most Alzheimer ‘s patients , the initial symptoms appear and get worse over time. Alzheimer ‘s patientsmay not even realize that they have the disease, however, family members and close people will notice the changes that will happen not only in their attitudes, but also part of their personality.
However, it is necessary to know how to distinguish Alzheimer’s : Alzheimer ‘s symptoms can resemble stress or the “natural” process of aging, in which it is considered common to decrease the pace of routine activities and the patient’s memory (although there were numerous cases of elderly people who live without any type of negative intervention at this stage of life).
The importance of early diagnosis is indisputable: the sooner the treatment is started, the less the carrier will suffer from the consequences. Although there is still no definitive treatment for Alzheimer’s , quality of life and daily activities improve significantly when an early diagnosis is made and the patient receives the proper treatment.
Stages of Alzheimer’s: It can be divided into four stages, each characterized by different symptoms, both involving memory:
1st Stage of Alzheimer’s: In the 1st Stage, the patient starts to feel a drastic decrease in short memory, which performs the most common routine functions. Keeping objects in unusual places, not feeding pets, forgetting the doors open, in addition to difficulties when cooking and driving are some symptoms.
The Alzheimer ‘s patient remembers the past very well, but has evident difficulty in memorizing current things, is forgetful, repetitive, fails to fulfill commitments and, little by little, loses his security and independence.
2nd Stage of Alzheimer’s : In the 2nd Stage, the condition starts to get worse. Repeatedly saying the same things, difficulty recognizing people who were previously close, hallucinations, insomnia, urinary incontinence and sudden personality changes mark this phase.
Behavioral changes may arise in Alzheimer ‘s patients , such as apathy or aggression, progressive loss of autonomy, difficulties with calculation and language, in addition to difficulty even with old, already consolidated memories.
3rd Stage of Alzheimer’s: In the 3rd Stage, with the great forgetfulness of cognitive and motor functions, the person no longer acts as before. Urinary and fecal incontinence get worse, and meals can no longer be made without help and supervision. Speech is no longer performed, and ulcers and other infections appear in different areas of the body. There is complete inability to perform activities such as brushing teeth, bathing and taking care of oneself.
4th Stage of Alzheimer’s : In the 4th Stage, also known as terminal, at this stage the devastation of Alzheimer’s in the brain is enough to make the body not perform any of its functions as it should. It is a potentiated junction of all the previous symptoms. With progression, motor symptoms appear with choking, loss of balance, coordination and muscle strength.
The Alzheimer ‘s patient progresses to a clear global neurological deterioration, being restricted to the wheelchair and later to the bed, usually in the final position.
Diagnoses: When the family begins to distrust the elderly’s attitudes (in issues of memories, personality, mood and physiological, for example), it’s time to look for the possible determinants of Alzheimer’s .
When it comes to Alzheimer’s , there is no single test that can detect it right away, so to get an accurate diagnosis, the carrier will have to visit the doctor a few times.
The aging process involves some mysteries, not always easy to unravel. Mostly related to habits collected throughout life, old age can be both full of tranquility and with some health complication, Alzheimer’s disease being one of them.
Over the years, aging and the death of neurons causes the brain’s ability to store memories to be impaired, so the elderly are more likely to have some failures when it comes to memories and other areas of celebration.
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Unfortunately, the diagnosis is late: when the signs are noticed, usually Alzheimer’s is already in an advanced stage, which can make its treatment difficult. There is a wide range of tests that can be performed. However, none of them is able to confirm Alzheimer ‘s 100%, being much more important the clinical and neurological examination combined with the clinical history of the evolution of symptoms and contexts of appearance.