Alzheimer''s disease is the most common cause of dementia, which is the loss
of intellectual and social abilities severe
enough to interfere with daily
functioning. Dementia occurs in people with Alzheimer''s disease because healthy
brain tissue degenerates, causing a steady decline in memory and mental
abilities. Alzheimer''s, a disease that usually develops in people age 65 or
older. This number is expected to triple by the year 2050 as the population
ages. Although there''s no cure for Alzheimer''s disease, researchers have made
progress. Treatments are available that improve the quality of life for some
people with Alzheimer''s. Also, more drugs are being studied, and scientists
have discovered several genes associated with Alzheimer''s, which may lead to
new treatments to block progression of this complex disease. In the meantime,
caring for someone with Alzheimer''s takes patience and a focus on the things a
person can still do and enjoy. Those with Alzheimer''s — as well as those who
care for them — need support and affection from friends and family to cope. Everyone
has occasional lapses in memory. It''s normal to forget the names of people whom
you rarely see. But it''s not a normal part of aging to forget the names of
familiar people and objects. Alzheimer''s disease — a progressive, degenerative
brain disease — causes more than simple
forgetfulness. It may start with slight
memory loss and confusion, but it
eventually leads to irreversible mental
impairment that destroys a person''s ability to remember, reason, learn and
imagine. Most people with Alzheimer''s share certain signs and symptoms of the
disease. These may include: Increasing and persistent forgetfulness.
At its onset, Alzheimer''s disease is marked by periods of forgetfulness,
especially of recent events or simple directions. But what begins as mild
forgetfulness persists and worsens. People with Alzheimer''s may repeat things
and forget conversations or appointments. They routinely misplace things, often
putting them in illogical locations. They frequently forget names, and
eventually, they may forget the names of family members and everyday objects. Difficulties
with abstract thinking. People with Alzheimer''s may initially have
trouble balancing their checkbook, a problem that progresses to trouble
recognizing and dealing with numbers. Difficulty finding the right
word. It may be a challenge for those with Alzheimer''s to find the
right words to express thoughts or even follow conversations. Eventually,
reading and writing also are affected. Disorientation. People
with Alzheimer''s often lose their sense of time and dates, and may find
themselves lost in familiar surroundings. Loss of judgment.
Solving everyday problems, such as knowing what to do if food on the stove is
burning, becomes increasingly difficult, eventually impossible. Alzheimer''s is
characterized by greater difficulty in doing things that require planning,
decision making and judgment. Difficulty performing familiar tasks.
Once-routine tasks that require sequential steps, such as cooking, become a
struggle as the disease progresses. Eventually, people with advanced
Alzheimer''s may forget how to do even the most basic things. Personality
changes. People with Alzheimer''s may exhibit mood swings. They may express
distrust in others, show increased stubbornness and withdraw socially. Early
on, this may be a response to the frustration they feel as they notice
uncontrollable changes in their memory. Depression often coexists with
Alzheimer''s disease. Restlessness also is a common sign. As the disease
progresses, people with Alzheimer''s may become anxious or aggressive and behave
inappropriately. Because early Alzheimer''s symptoms progress slowly, diagnosis
is often delayed. People developing the condition may be frighteningly aware of
their problems — but careful to keep them hidden, reir families may fail to see what''s going on. When the signs
and symptoms are too obvious to miss, those closest to the person often realize
that similar — but less severe — difficulties have been present for years. The
disease''s course varies from person to person. Eight years is the average
length of time from diagnosis of Alzheimer''s to death. Survival begins to
decline three years after diagnosis, but some people live more than a decade
with the disease.