Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative brain disease that involves the loss of memory and other mental abilities.
Risk factors. It is the most common form of dementia in the population. It is degenerative and today we have no cure. It occurs most often in people over 65.
Detection. Be alert to changes in behaviour, such as loss of interest in hobbies or pastimes, loss of concentration, inability to make decisions and mood swings and irritability.
Alzheimer's patients not only forget details, eventually they completely forget recent episodes.
Treatment. Medication and stimulating the person’s intellectual functions.
Alzheimer's is a neurodegenerative disease and the most common type of dementia, especially, although not exclusively, in the elderly.
Symptoms. The process usually begins with memory loss and inability to retain new information. The patient repeats the same things and does not recognise his mistakes. Then other faculties (language, reasoning, orientation, etc.) are affected. In parallel, the patient loses autonomy; so, in a first stage, the person needs supervision for complex activities. With progression of the disease, he requires help for even the most basic activities of daily life.
In the initial and intermediate phases, drugs authorised in Spain are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEI): donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine. These drugs facilitate neuronal communication and balancing the amount of the neurotransmitter called acetylcholine that decreases with the disease.
For intermediate and advanced stages, memantine improves the transmission of nerve signals and memory, moderating the progress of the disease.
Non-drug treatments are aimed at stimulating intellectual functions of the sick person in order to:
- Encourage social relations and the connection with the social and family environment.
- Increase the level of independence and self-esteem.
- Help the person and family to accept and assume the disease.
- Optimise quality of life.
For more information visit:
10 Early Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer's
http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_10_signs_of_alzheimers.asp#signs
Alzheimer's Society
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/
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