Alzheimer’s Disease: Symptoms and Treatment

The most common cause for dementia prevailing among people in many parts of the world is Alzheimer disease (AD). Dementia intrudes with a person’s capacity to carry out his daily chores.

A person suffering from Alzheimer disease will have areas containing bundles or plaques of abnormal proteins in his brain. These clumps and tangles are responsible for impacting the brain which thereby leads to disturbances in its functions such as memory, thought and language. Among such people, chemical levels or neurotransmitters essential to carry messages are also low. Hence they will suffer from loss of intellectual ability (dementia) which can severely impede their day today living.

Mostly people who are over the age of 60 years are affected by Alzheimer disease. As you age, the risk of developing this disease also continues to grow. The disease is seen to affect more women than men and impacts people of all ethnic groups and races. Also this disease is a progressive disease which gets worse over time.

Symptoms

In the beginning, you can see only mild symptoms of this disease in a person. Over a period of time, patients will start losing their ability to reason and think clearly, solve problems, judge situations, recollect information, speak or care for themselves. The patient also exhibits changes in personality and behavioral pattern. Also those suffering from mild Alzheimer disease also must be supervised and require assistance with day to day tasks such as paying bills, cleaning and cooking. Those suffering from severe Alzheimer disease will require complete care.

Treatment

Still, no cure has been found for treating this disease effectively. The existing treatment concentrates on mainly slowing the progress of the disease and also its related complications such as behavior changes. Those diagnosed with this disease must be constantly under the attention of a caregiver. Medical care can only aim to ensure that the safety and quality of the patient is maintained at the optimum level possible. Patients with Alzheimer disease need the help of family members to cope with the various challenges associated with caring for such a patient. Treatment options comprise of non-drug treatments and options such as behavior therapy.