By: Gabriel Anokye (9/6/21)
June marks the official Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, started by the Alzheimer’s Association. This month-long awareness campaign seeks to inform people about Alzheimer’s and related brain diseases, their related warning signs, and quality-of-life-focused care.
The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, which is a complex neurological disease. More than 50 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, and more than 10 million care for a loved one who has the disease. Alzheimer’s disease is linked to a number of hereditary, behavioral, and environmental variables that have an impact on brain cells.
At the initial stage of the disease, forgetfulness and mild confusion are seen. Over time, recent memories also start erasing. Advanced stage symptoms vary from person to person. Current treatment approaches focus on maintaining mental function, managing behavioral symptoms, and slow or delay the disease progression.
Many individuals are confused about the distinction between Alzheimer’s and dementia. Dementia is a broad word that refers to a set of symptoms. Dementia is characterized by issues with memory, language, problem-solving, and other mental abilities that impair a person’s ability to carry out daily tasks.
Dementia has many causes but Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia.
In this report, Alzheimer’s dementia refers to dementia that is caused by or believed to be caused by, the brain changes of Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is estimated to start at least 20 years before symptoms appear. It begins with subtle alterations in the brain that go unnoticed by the individual who is affected. Only after years of brain alterations can individuals encounter apparent symptoms such as memory loss and language issues. The injury or destruction of nerve cells (neurons) in areas of the brain involved in thinking, learning, and remembering (cognitive function) causes symptoms. Neurons in other areas of the brain are also injured or killed as the disease advances.
Eventually, neurons in parts of the brain that enable a person to carry out basic bodily functions, such as walking and swallowing, are affected. Individuals become bed-bound and require around-the-clock care. Alzheimer’s disease is ultimately fatal.
Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s Dementia
The greatest risk factors for late-onset Alzheimer’s are older age, genetics, especially the apolipoprotein e4 gene (APOE-e4), and having a family history of Alzheimer’s.
Age
Age is the greatest of these three risk factors. The percentage of people with Alzheimer’s dementia increases dramatically with age: 5.3% of people age 65 to 74, 13.8% of people age 75 to 84, and 34.6% of people age 85 or older have Alzheimer’s dementia. However, it is important to note that Alzheimer’s dementia is not a normal part of aging, and older age alone is not sufficient to cause Alzheimer’s dementia
Family History
A family history of Alzheimer’s is not necessary for an individual to develop the disease. However, individuals who have a parent or sibling (first-degree relative) with Alzheimer’s are more likely to develop the disease than those who do not have a first-degree relative with Alzheimer’s. Those who have more than one first-degree relative with Alzheimer’s are at even higher risk.
Symptoms depend on the stage of the disease:
Early symptoms include:
Memory loss
Misplacing items
Forgetting the names of places and objects
Repeating themselves regularly, such as asking the same question several times
Becoming less flexible and more hesitant to try new things
Middle-stage symptoms include:
Increasing confusion and disorientation
Obsessive, repetitive or impulsive behavior
Delusions (believing things that are untrue)
Problems with speech or language (aphasia)
Disturbed sleep
Changes in mood, such as frequent mood swings, depression and feeling increasingly anxious, frustrated or agitated
Difficulty in performing spatial tasks, such as judging distances
Agnosia
Later symptoms include:
Difficulty in changing position or moving around without assistance
Considerable weight loss — although some people eat too much and put on weight
Gradual loss of speech
Significant problems with short and long-term memory
Self-care in Alzheimer’s
Creating a safe and supportive environment: Adapting the living situation to the needs of a person with Alzheimer’s is an important part of any treatment plan.
Always keep keys, wallets, mobile phones and other valuables in the same place at home.
Develop the habit of carrying a mobile phone with location capability.
Use a calendar or whiteboard at home to track daily schedules. Build the habit of checking off completed.
Remove excess furniture and clutter.
Exercise regularly and eat healthily.
Role of care-giver
The caregiver or family member of a person who has Alzheimer’s encounters numerous obstacles, both in adjusting to new duties and coping with the dramatic changes in a loved one. If you’re confronting this position, understanding what to anticipate can help you cope better. As a consequence, you’ll be able to give your loved one the best care possible. Caregivers’ participation in education and support groups — sometimes known as “caregiver interventions” — is becoming more regarded as a critical component of Alzheimer’s treatment, in part with pharmacological therapies.
The person with Alzheimer’s benefits when family members and caregivers are informed about the condition and participate in the person’s care, according to research. When the family and caregivers of someone with Alzheimer’s disease learn about the condition and how to communicate and engage with the person in ways that are suitable for the stage of the disease, they are better able to lessen behavioral issues and improve the quality of life of those involved
Conclusion
Everyone has a part to play in raising Alzheimer’s disease awareness. Enrolling the Alzheimer’s patient in an appropriate adult day care program can also provide the caregiver with much-needed respite.
It may be important to look into hospice care for your loved ones if they are in the final stages of Alzheimer’s.
Reerences.
1. Quiroz YT, Zetterberg H, Reiman EM, Chen Y, Su Y, Fox-Fuller JT, et al. Plasma neurofilament light chain in the presenilin 1 E280A autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease kindred: A cross-sectional and longitudinal cohort study. Lancet Neuro 2020;19(6):513–21.
2. Barthelemy N, Joseph-Mathurin N, Gordon BA, Hassenstab J, Benzinger TLS, et al. A soluble phosphorylated tau signature links tau, amyloid and the evolution of stages of dominantly inherited Alzheimer’s disease. Nat Med 2020;26:398–407
3. Villemagne VL, Burnham S, Bourgeat P, Brown B, Ellis KA, Salvado O, et al. Amyloid ß deposition, neurodegeneration, and cognitive decline in sporadic Alzheimer’s disease: A prospective cohort study. Lancet Neurol 2013;12(4):357–67
