Health Information

What is Alzheimer Disease? - Alzheimer's is a progressive degenerative brain disease that causes serious disruption to think and remember. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia (a syndrome consisting of a number of symptoms that include loss of memory, judgment and reasoning, and changes in mood, behavior and communication skills).

The disease was first identified by Dr. Alois Alzheimer in 1906. He described two specific characteristics of Alzheimer's: a lot of small dense deposits scattered throughout the brain so that it becomes toxic to brain cells and tangling that disrupt vital processes of living cells. Brain cells to shrink and die so that brain volume decreased sharply in some areas. This shrinkage has continued from time to time that affect the ability of the brain.

Alzheimer's develops and affects different areas of the brain, giving rise to various disorders abilities and / or behavior. Generally lose the ability to be permanent. Has so far not found a way to recover it. However, some research indicates that the process of learning back to some kind of capabilities are possible.

Here are 10 major symptoms of Alzheimer's disease:

     # Gradual memory loss. It is normal to occasionally forget appointments or names of people and then remember it again. Patients with Alzheimer's disease often forget with things like that and do not remember it again, especially when it just happened. Ordinary people call it "senile".

     #Difficulty carrying out routine tasks. Completely failed to do the usual things such as preparing food, managing the household budget or worship.

     #Impaired judgment. Difficulty of assessing the situation so that, for example, does not recognize medical problem that needs attention or wearing heavy clothing on a hot day.

     #Disorientation of time and space. Often forgotten by time and easily get lost. When walking, the patient does not know how to get there and how to return home.

     #Problems with language. Forget simple words or substitute words making sentences difficult to understand.

     #Problems with abstract thinking. Have significant difficulty with tasks such as counting abstract refund or make a plan of action.

     #Misplaced items. Put something in place that is not supposed to like: clothes on glasses in the refrigerator or coffee cups.

     #Changes in mood and behavior. Showed varying mood swings from calm to tears or angry for no apparent reason.

     #Personality changes. Easily confused, worried, suspicious or withdrawn, apathetic, or acting outside of his character. Two-thirds of sufferers experience symptoms of depression and about 20% showed aggression, especially in male patients. They may also experience hallucinations, delusions (false beliefs) and paranoia.

    # Loss of initiative. Become very passive, and require cues and encouragement to get involved.

Diagnosis
Not like rheumatism or gout can be handled exclusively by the expert rheumatology, or heart disease by cardiologists, Alzheimer's disease do not have a doctor who specializes in the treatment. You can visit a general practitioner or internist concerning problems encountered. For a problem that needs expert handling, general practitioners can refer patients to one of the following specialists:

     Neurologist, who specializes in diseases of the brain and nervous system.
     Psychiatrist, who specializes in disorders that affect mood or how the mind works.
     Psychologist, who specializes in testing of memory, concentration, problem solving, language skills and other mental functions.

There is no single test to diagnose Alzheimer's. Medical examination conducted to evaluate the overall health and identify any conditions that may affect the ability of the brain through interviews, review of medical history, mental test, physical test, and may be supported by the results of diagnostics such as CT-Scan, MRI or computed tomography scan.

Chronology of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease usually begins at a later age, but some are starting from the age of 30. Progression of Alzheimer's usually progresses slowly, can reach twenty years from diagnosis until death (average 8 years). However, in some cases rapid and acute development occurs.

Alzheimer's is often categorized according to the severity of the symptoms, such as:

     #Mild (early stage). At this stage, which typically lasts 3-4 years, mild symptoms such as memory loss and disorientation make the patient requires assistance and supervision.

     #Medium (middle stage). Disease has progressed and patients have a more difficult day-to-day functions that need help.

     #Severe or advanced (late stage). With communication problems, movement and severe incontinence, patients requiring special care, often have to live in nursing homes.

Death is often caused by pneumonia or other infections. There is currently no treatment that can stop the progression of Alzheimer's disease.