Category : Neurology
Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia among older adults. Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning – thinking, remembering, and reasoning – and behavioural abilities to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities.
Dementia ranges in severity from the mildest stage, when it is just beginning to affect a person’s functioning, to the most severe stage, when the person must depend completely on others for help with basic activities of daily living.
What causes Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. Her symptoms included memory loss, language problems, and unpredictable behavior. After she died, he examined her brain and found many abnormal clumps (now called amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of fibers (now called neurofibrillary, or tau, tangles).
Most people with Alzheimer’s have the late-onset form of the disease in which symptoms become apparent in their mid-60s or later. Researchers have not found a specific gene that directly causes late-onset Alzheimer’s, but having a form of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene increases a person’s risk. This gene has several forms, and one of those,APOE e4, increases a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s and is also associated with an earlier age of disease onset.
However, carrying theAPOE e4 form of the gene does not mean that a person will definitely develop the disease, and some people with noAPOE e4may also develop Alzheimer’s.
Signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease
Memory problems are typically one of the first signs of cognitive impairment related to Alzheimer’s. Some people with memory problems have a condition calledmild cognitive impairment (MCI). With MCI, people have more memory problems than normal for their age, but their symptoms do not interfere with their everyday lives. Movement difficulties and problems with the sense ofsmell have also been linked to MCI. Older people with MCI are at greater risk for developing Alzheimer’s, but not all of them do so.
The first symptoms of Alzheimer’s vary from person to person. For many, decline in non memory aspects of cognition, such as word-finding, vision/spatial issues, and impaired reasoning or judgment may signal the very early stages of the disease.
How is Alzheimer’s disease diagnosed?
- Clinical predominantly-history of ability to carry out daily activities, and changes in behavior and personality.
- Conducting tests of memory, problem solving, attention, counting, and language.
- Perform brain scans, such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or positron emission tomography (PET), to support an Alzheimer’s diagnosis or to rule out other possible causes for symptoms.
How is Alzheimer’s disease treated?
Medications to maintain mental function in Alzheimer’s disease
Several medications are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine are used to treat the symptoms of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s. Donepezil, memantine, the rivastigmine patch, and a combination medication of memantine and donepezil are used to treat moderate to severe Alzheimer’s symptoms.
All of these drugs work by regulating neurotransmitters, the chemicals that transmit messages between neurons. They may help reduce symptoms and help with certain behavioral problems.
Food and facts
Physical activity, diet, cognitive training, and combinations of these are crucial.Recent advances in the concept of gut brain axis have opened new horizons in the management of Alzheimer’s disease with customised dietary plans. At JSS Hospital we are doing research on this topic and hope to bring out benefits to the needy population soon.
Learn more about the facilities provided by JSS Hospital, Click the below link
https://jsshospital.in/neurology/about-department