What is Alzheimer's disease? 

What is Alzheimer's disease? 

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia around the world, as it causes deterioration in mental skills, thinking, and perception, in addition to the loss of the ability to express and speak in some cases. It occurs as a result of atrophy in healthy brain cells and thus a continuous decline in mental performance. 

Alzheimer's disease is one of the diseases in which the chances of contracting it increase with age, but it is not one of the stages of aging. According to studies, about 5% of people develop it between the ages of 65 and 74 years, while 50% of those infected are over the age of 85 years. 

It is among the incurable diseases, which means that it cannot be cured, but there are many treatments that contribute significantly to improving the quality of life and slowing the process of cell deterioration, so detecting symptoms early is very important.

Causes of Alzheimer's 

So far, the main cause of Alzheimer's disease has not been determined, but there are some factors that increase the chances of developing it, which we will tell you about in light of providing a comprehensive answer about what is Alzheimer's disease? 

• Progress in age, as the chances of developing Alzheimer’s increase with age. Studies indicate that most people with the disease are over the age of 65, and most are over the age of 85. 
• Genetics and family history. 
• Head injuries and some health conditions that suffer from problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and exposure to clots and strokes. 
• Scientists have indicated that amyloid plaque disease is among the diseases that greatly increase the chances of developing Alzheimer's disease and its development. 
• Neurofibrillary tangles, which are twisted fibers that block and block the brain from the inside and change the tau protein.

Alzheimer's symptoms 

After we learned the answer to the question: What is Alzheimer's disease? 

1. Repetition of the same sentences and words and difficulty finding words to express what they feel. 

2. Forgetting some important appointments and conversations. 

3. Putting some things in the wrong places. They may be placed in places that do not make sense at all. 

4. Forgetting the names of children or people familiar to them.

5. Suffering in thinking. 

6. Inability to determine and deal with numbers in addition to preserving money and budgeting. 

7. Weak ability to read and write.

8. Extreme difficulty in determining places and loss of sense of time. 

9. Loss of the ability to make important and crucial decisions. 

10. Extreme difficulty in solving daily problems and inability to act correctly if faced with any crisis or plan something. 

11. Inability to do normal routine things such as cooking or going to natural places.

12. The presence of some personality changes, such as mood swings, lack of trust in other people, depression and extreme fear, the desire for isolation, social isolation, and aggression towards others. 

Read also: تعرف على كيفية إعادة تأهيل مرضى الزهايمر 

How is Alzheimer's diagnosed?

Alzheimer's disease is diagnosed through a number of tests, which we discuss in detail below:

• Physical examination: The doctor performs a physical examination of the patient to confirm the presence of Alzheimer's disease.

• Medical history: The doctor collects certain information related to the patient’s extensive history, including revealing the presence of Alzheimer’s disease, including previous and current symptoms, the types of medications he takes, and also family history, in terms of having a relative with Alzheimer’s or any disease related to dementia.

• Cognitive tests: Here the doctor relies on cognitive tests through which the patient’s mental abilities are evaluated, including memory, language, thinking, and arithmetic, as well as the extent of the ability to make decisions.

• Brain scans: These include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which uses radio waves and a magnetic field to create a detailed picture of the brain. There is also computed tomography (CT), which uses

• Cerebrospinal fluid examinations: In this procedure, the cerebrospinal fluid is examined to measure the levels of amyloid and tau proteins, which are important proteins for Alzheimer's disease.

• Genetic testing: This procedure is done in rare cases in order to check for the presence of genetic factors causing Alzheimer's disease.
• Urine and blood tests: These tests and analyzes detect infections or other medical conditions that may be causing difficulty thinking.

Stages of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is classified into seven stages, as follows:

• The first stage: The disease is silent without symptoms, and cognitive abilities and memory are normal, and the disease is revealed by a positron emission tomography scan.

• The second stage: During which slight changes occur in memory, and here the patient suffers from memory lapses, for example forgetting the names of people, and this can last from 2 to 10 years.

• The third stage: In which the signs of Alzheimer's are clear, and the changes that appear in the patient are noticed by his family members and friends. He is not able to remember the names of those who were recently identified, and he asks the question several times despite getting an answer.

• The fourth stage: This stage is the stage of exacerbation of Alzheimer's symptoms in the third stage, along with the emergence of new symptoms, during which the damage to the nerve cells in the memory area exceeds and reaches other parts of the brain that are responsible for perception, speech, and so on.

• The fifth stage: This stage is a late stage of Alzheimer's disease, and the person needs more support and assistance in performing his daily tasks. As memory deteriorates further, the patient may forget his address, find it difficult to remember the names of his family members, and even lose the ability to determine his current whereabouts.

• The sixth stage: It is one of the last stages in which the patient's condition deteriorates. The person with Alzheimer's begins to lose the ability to do simple things, such as taking care of personal hygiene, and the memory loss gets worse, and the patient is unable to remember the past and the life events he is experiencing. He suffers from confusion among his family members, and the condition even develops into difficulty speaking and expressing what he feels.

• The seventh stage: This stage is the last stage of the disease and is the worst among the stages of Alzheimer’s, because during it a large portion of the brain cells has been damaged, and here it negatively affects the patient’s basic abilities, including eating, sitting, and walking as well. The affected person even suffers severely when moving, for example, he is unable to use a spoon.

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How can Alzheimer's be prevented?

There are several factors that reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, including the following:

• Following a healthy lifestyle: This is done by having a balanced diet such as eating fruits and vegetables, eating foods with a large percentage of omega-3 fatty acids, exercising, including walking and cycling, controlling blood pressure through regular checks, and making the weight healthy by losing excess weight, with the importance of avoiding smoking and avoiding alcohol.

• Maintaining mental activity: learning new skills such as playing musical instruments or learning a new language, solving puzzles and mental games including crossword puzzles, reading, and participating in social activities.
• Taking care of cardiovascular health: by controlling blood cholesterol levels and making diets healthy.
• Controlling blood sugar levels: by getting a healthy diet, exercising, and treating depression because it increases the risk of dementia.

• Taking care of mental health: This is done by managing stress by practicing relaxation exercises and getting enough sleep.
• Other factors: These include genetic tests, if there is a family history of Alzheimer's disease. Here, a genetic test should be performed, and a specialist doctor should be consulted regarding the concerns that the patient has about Alzheimer's disease.

Methods of treating Alzheimer's

There may not be a definitive cure for Alzheimer's disease, but treatments help alleviate the symptoms of the disease and help delay the progression of the disease. Here are the ways to treat Alzheimer's:

• العلاج بالأدوية

They are cholinesterase inhibitors that work to increase levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the brain, as it has a good role in memory and thinking. Among them are the medications donepezil and galantamine, as well as medications and rivacetigma, in addition to memantine, which is a medication that regulates the activity of receptors in the brain and has an important role in learning and memory.

There are also other medications, including antidepressant and antipsychotic medications, which work to control and control behavioral symptoms, including hallucinations and depression.

• Non-drug treatment

It consists of behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, social therapy, and treatment with mental exercises, including practicing brain-stimulating activities that improve memory and thinking, in addition to preventive treatment by following a healthy and balanced diet rich in both fruits and vegetables, in addition to regular exercise that improves brain functions, and staying away from smoking, which increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

اسئلة شائعة

At what age does Alzheimer's start?

Dementia or Alzheimer's disease usually begins between the ages of 65 and 70, and people younger than that age rarely develop this disease. 

How do I make an Alzheimer's patient sleep?

A large percentage of adults with Alzheimer's disease face difficulty sleeping, and the patient can be helped by following a specific daily routine, i.e. going to bed and waking up at a specific time every day, limiting the intake of all stimulants, especially at night, limiting sleep during the daylight hours, creating a calm atmosphere in the evening and relaxing by reading verses from the Qur’an and dhikr, not using screens in the bedroom, working on organizing medications, and eating a light dinner. You can also ask your doctor about taking melatonin, as it is among the means that help improve the quality of sleep.

Does an Alzheimer's patient realize that he forgets? 

The answer to this question varies depending on the stage that the patient is going through. If in the early stages of the disease, here the patient has a partial awareness that he forgets and does not have the ability to remember and manage his matters well, but this awareness is partially lost as the disease progresses. In the later stages, the patient is unable to judge things or realize that he forgets.

Thus, through Al-Mousa Hospital, we have learned about what is Alzheimer's disease?

Sources 

What Is Alzheimer’s Disease – nih

Alzheimer’s Disease – clevelandclinic

Alzheimer’s disease – nhs