Dementias are the neurodegenerative disease that most affects the population in old age, Alzheimer's being the most frequent of all them, affecting more than 1.2 million people in Spain, which makes it a disease that requires great attention in the health.
Alzheimer's disease is not a natural disease of aging and living with it changes the life of the person suffering from it and those around them. To find out how people with this disease live and what resources are available for its treatment, keep reading this Psychology-Online article: Alzheimer's: what is it, symptoms, causes, phases and treatment.
Index
- What is Alzheimer's?
- Alzheimer's symptoms
- Causes of Alzheimer's
- Alzheimer's: phases
- Alzheimer's treatment
What is Alzheimer's?
Alzheimer's, Alzheimer's disease (AD) or Alzheimer's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease, being the most frequent of all dementias. It consists of a disorder considered serious, degenerative, caused by a progressive loss of neurons
In general, the disease produces a deterioration in memory, affecting the ability to remember; in the language, producing difficulties in communication; and in thinking, appearing deterioration in reasoning.
Alzheimer's symptoms.
The form of appearance of the different symptoms of Alzheimer's can be very varied in people who suffer from it, there is no single evolution and the disease may not be noticed until it has evolved a little. The symptoms that make us think about the appearance of this disease are the following:
- Memory loss: memory loss is the first symptom that is perceived in this disease. First, there is a deterioration of the short term memory, where there is forgetfulness about the closest actions, such as not remembering what they had for dinner at night. Generally, the person is aware of these memory losses, although the most frequent attitude is to try to hide it. As the disease progresses, memory deteriorates, affecting the long term memory.
- Difficulty performing everyday tasks: People with Alzheimer's suffer from difficulties in carrying out tasks that they normally did, such as doing use of electrical appliances, forgetting where certain objects have been stored, forgetting what they should buy when making the purchase ...
- Language disturbanceDifficulties in expression are appreciated, where it is difficult for the person to say what he wants to convey. Frequently, they make use of "circumlocutions" such as: "I will be lying where you sleep", instead of saying in bed.
- Disorientation in time and space: It is common for there to be disorientation regarding the day they are, the place, where they live,... for this reason it is common for them to become disoriented and get lost.
- Decreased judgment: there is a difficulty in making simple judgments and therefore it is normal for them to make incorrect decisions about, for example, what clothes they should wear for the weather.
- Abstract thinking: they have great difficulty in being able to carry out abstract thoughts, such as calculation.
- Mood and behavior changes: People with Alzheimer's can experience sudden changes in mood and behavior, often accompanied by agitation, which can impact family members and those close to them.
- Personality changesAlthough it is frequent that the personality changes in old age, in this disease the changes can be very drastic, with distrustful, dependent or surly personalities being prevalent.
- Initiative: People with Alzheimer's find it difficult to take the initiative, with daily actions they have been used to, such as running the house or doing accounts. For this reason, on many occasions they end up spending long periods of time in front of the television without paying attention to the stimuli around them.
Causes of Alzheimer's.
The main cause of Alzheimer's is progressive decrease in brain neuronsSpecifically, the production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine is reduced, causing a deterioration of the cholinergic pathways of our brain system. Being an unknown cause, it is difficult to predict the factors that can cause the disease, however there are some factors that increase the probability of its appearance, such as:
- Age: the appearance of the disease is frequent in people older than 60-65 years, with 80 years being the mean age of diagnosis.
- Gender: the female sex is more prevalent in its disease.
- Genetics: It is estimated that 40% of people who suffer from Alzheimer's disease have had a family member who also suffered from it.
- Environmental factors: a high relationship has been shown in the appearance of Alzheimer's with tobacco, determining it as a risk factor for the disease, as well as diets high in fat.
Alzheimer's: phases.
The disease goes through different stages, which are characterized by progressive deterioration. The stages of Alzheimer's are as follows:
1. Initial or mild stage
In this first stage of Alzheimer's, it is difficult to perceive the damage that the disease produces. They begin to occur little forgetfulness, how where have you left the car keys or it may be difficult to find the right word. In this phase of Alzheimer's the person can fend for himself, performing the tasks of daily life and even working and driving. However, a lack of spontaneity, initiative, and a depressive tendency are beginning to show. Also begin to appear sudden mood swings, being able to course with apathy and with it isolation and the capacity of judgment diminishes.
2. Intermediate or moderate phase
In the second phase of Alzheimer's, its appearance is already evident. The patient already experiences difficulty performing daily activities, like going shopping or preparing dinner. The memory It is not the only thing that is clearly altered, there are also problems in the ability to reason and understand and its deterioration progresses more quickly.
3. Advanced or severe phase
In this phase of Alzheimer's you see altered all cognitive functions, where there is great difficulty in speaking correctly, produces constant repetitions and connects them in an incongruous way. In the advanced phase the person stop recognizing family members and closer beings, and they cannot recognize themselves either. On the other hand, the small lapses of disorientation that could appear previously are constant and can lead to forgetting the most basic actions such as walking. The apathy that experience causes that they can be long hours without any activity and lose all their autonomy. Finally, they suffer constant mood swings with laughter or crying for no apparent reason and without understanding when speaking. In the most serious stages of the disease, they can suffer from stiffness and muteness, and can reach a vegetative state.
Alzheimer's treatment.
Currently there is no treatment that can reverse the degeneration in Alzheimer's. However, in some patients, it is possible that in the initial or middle phase of the disease, they can use drugs that help to delay deterioration for a time.
At a pharmacological level, the drugs that tend to be used for the treatment of Alzheimer's are the cholinesterase inhibitors, which allow delaying the deterioration of some symptoms, generally for half a year.
Before the appearance of psychological and behavioral symptoms, there are treatments that help increase the quality of life of people who suffer from the disease and those around them. It is common to use drugs in combination, given the great variety of symptoms. For example, in the face of depressive mood they are usually prescribed antidepressants and for sleep disturbances, agitation or hallucinations, use is made of the neuroleptics or benzodiazepines.
It is important in the treatment of Alzheimer's to give rise to the palliative medicine, in order to help the patient to have a greater well-being. This care refers to helping the person cope with the disease and death. On many occasions, many patients prefer to dispense with curative care and only benefit from palliative care to reduce pain.
It should be borne in mind that Alzheimer's disease currently has no cure and that all treatment possibilities are based on reduce disease and increase quality of life of these people.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Alzheimer's: what is it, symptoms, causes, phases and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Neuropsychology.
Bibliography
- De Ocho, E., Coronado, H., Martínez, M & Nevado, M. (1996). A practical guide to Alzheimer's disease. Ministry of Health and Consumption: national institute of health.
- Ministry of health, social policy and equality (2011). Clinical Practice Guide on Comprehensive Care for People with Alzheimer's Disease and other Dementias. Ministry of Science and Innovation
- Peña, J. (1999). Alzheimer disease. From diagnosis to therapy: concepts and facts. "La Caixa" Foundation.
Alzheimer's: what is it, symptoms, causes, phases and treatment