10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease, a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain in which brain cells die and are not replaced. According to the Alzheimer's Association, its ten chief warning signs are:
- Recent memory loss that affects job skills
- Difficulty performing familiar tasks
- Problems with language
- Disorientation of time and place
- Poor or decreased judgment
- Problems with abstract thinking
- Misplacing things
- Changes in mood or behavior
- Changes in personality
- Loss of initiative
Alzheimer's disease is the fourth leading cause of death among American adults, reports the Alzheimer's Association. In addition, the association points out that an estimated 14 million individuals will have the disease by 2050, due to the aging of our population. Though Alzheimer's disease primarily affects adults past age 65 and in their later years of life, physicians are seeing an increase in the number of patients who diagnosed are diagnosed with the disease in their 40s and 50s.
(Source: Alzheimer's Association pamphlet, "Is it Alzheimer's? Warning Signs You Should Know")
Editor's note: For more information on Alzheimer's disease, or to find the chapter of the Alzheimer's Association nearest to you, contact: Alzheimer's Association, 919 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1000, Chicago, Illinois 60611-1676 USA, Phone: (312) 335-8700, FAX: (312) 335-0214, toll-free phone: 1-800-272-3900. In addition, the Alzheimer's Association has an excellent Web site at: http://www.alz.org/
Topics:
There are different causes of cognitive dysfunctions, i.e. memory - short & long term, concentration, language, speech, visuo-spatial orientation. Most of them are nearly irreversible condition such as Alzheimers Disease, Multi- Infract Dementia, Lewy Body Disease, Picks Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Huntingtons Disease etc. Among them Alzheimers Disease is the most common cause of degenerative dementia. It is a debilitating, life-altering disease that attacks the brain.
"We like to go out, but my husband's too much to handle alone. I could use some help."
"Call me, If I can't talk, I'll let you know."
"It's difficult when friends stay away."
Dementia is a general term that includes specific disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Vascular or Multi-infarct dementia, Pseudodementia, and others. Dementia is defined as a loss in at least two areas of complex behavior, such as language, memory, visual and spatial abilities, or judgment, that significantly interferes with a person's daily activities.
Dementia affects over 4 million Americans, is the 4th major cause of death, and costs society $100 billion annually.
Causes
The exact cause of Alzheimer's Disease, a form of dementia, is still unknown. However, scientists have been able to indentify several contributing factors. Alzheimer's Disease is known to have a genetic componant as well as an environmental one. While Alzheimer's is a form of dementia, dementia is not necessarily Alzheimer's. There are many forms of demetia, some which are entirely curable. It is imporatant to understand the distinction between Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
Almost everyone-experiences some decline in memory and reaction time after age 40. But a rich network of neural connections-links between brain cells that allow them to communicate-can help compensate for these losses.
A rich neural network may even help keep people from being incapacitated by Alzheimer's disease.
Extensive neural connections seem to act as a kind of cognitive reserve allowing a person to function longer with the disease than someone whose mental resources were less extensive.
Good News:
Given the reduced risk of AD for persons with at least 8 years of education, it is reasonable to recommend active, regular use of thinking skills such as reading, writing and arithmetic. For example, research in the area of use-dependent plasticity has shown that persons who use language skills have larger, more elaborate connections in the areas of the brain related to language function. Also, we routinely see, clinically, patients with AD who have particular talents that are well preserved until moderately demented.
Behavioral problems commonly coexist with cognitive deficits during the course of Alzheimer's and other dementing diseases. They cause significant morbidity, interfere with the performance of activities of daily living, and often have a greater impact on the quality of life of family and caregivers than cognitive impairment.
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