Alzheimer’s is a neurological condition that’s directly connected with the brain. When a person starts showing the signs they start forgetting things. In this neuro condition, the person suffering this disease experiences cognitive declination as well as memory loss due to rupturing of the brain cells. This progressive neurological disorder leads to the shrinking of the brain and it is the most common cause of dementia. Over time, when this keeps continuing, it keeps affecting the brain resulting in declination of behavioral, thinking, and other social skills. It then leads to taking away the independent functioning ability of a person. This means the person suffering from Alzheimer’s needs constant care and surveillance all the time.
According to a survey done in the US, it was seen that approximately 5.8 million people above the age of 65 suffer from Alzheimer’s. Amongst these people, more than 80% are above the age of 75 years. In an approximation, there are 50 million people worldwide suffering from dementia and close to 70% of these people are estimated to be suffering from Alzheimer’s.
In this article, you will be getting an extensive understanding on what are the causes, signs, and treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Reasons/ Causes of Alzheimer’s Disease
A lot of research has shown that there is no single cause of Alzheimer’s. In fact, it is caused by multiple factors like lifestyle, genetics, as well as the environment. But the most important thing here is to understand that there are some factors that increase the risk of this disease in people. Majorly it is caused by heredity, age, and some brain-related illness or accidents in the past. Here are some common reasons why people get Alzheimer’s:
Age
One of the most common factors that trigger Alzheimer’s Disease is the age of that person. It is often seen that once a person crosses the 65-year mark; the possibility of getting this disease doubles every 5 years. But that’s not the only concern. People having age below 65 years can also have this problem. And according to a survey, every 1 out of 5 people suffers from Alzheimer’s. Those who have crossed the 40 years mark often suffer from a type of Alzheimer’s which is known as “early- or young-onset.”
Family History
We know there are a lot of things including diseases that we inherit from our family members like parents, grandparents, or even at times from our great-grandparents. Alzheimer’s happens to be one of those diseases that a person can get from their ancestors. A child receives genes from their parents which can contribute to developing Alzheimer’s in the kid. Actually, this condition is a bit alarming because there are chances to suffer from this problem even at an abnormally early age.
If any of your family members had dementia, it can be a prevailing disease in your genes. If you feel like getting help, you can take a few genetic counseling sessions. This will not only enlighten you about the problem but also give you the advice to minimize this problem.
Down’s Syndrome
Another very common reason for Alzheimer’s is Down’s Syndrome. The person with this syndrome is at higher risk because the changing genetics that causes this syndrome can also become the reason for Amyloid plaque. Which then slowly builds Alzheimer’s disease over time.
Head Injuries
This has also been seen that people who have suffered a head injury in the past are also prone to developing Alzheimer’s. But this is yet to be backed with concrete facts. There are still some theories that say otherwise.
Cardiovascular disease
There is multiple research that shows lifestyle and environment play an important role in getting Alzheimer’s disease. If someone is suffering from any kind of Cardiovascular disease, their chances of getting Alzheimer’s increase many folds. A few things including this problem are obesity, high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
Excessive alcohol consumption
People who often consume alcohol in large quantities face memory loss because their brain remains partially active when they are drunk. Many regular drinkers start to face this problem and when they detect it, Alzheimer’s already reaches a moderate state.
Poor sleeping pattern
People who feel sleeping is not important and those who don’t have a regulated sleep pattern should understand that this is wrong. Many researchers have concluded that those having poor sleeping patterns also result in suffering from Alzheimer’s.
Also read Brain foods that help you concentrate.
What are the signs/ symptoms involved with Alzheimer’s
Doctors have divided Alzheimer’s into three different categories- mild, moderate, and severe. Listed- below are few symptoms that cover all three categories of Alzheimer’s:
- Memory loss that disrupts daily life.
- Facing challenges while solving basic problems and planning things.
- When a person starts facing difficulties during the completion of familiar tasks.
- When there is confusion in place or time.
- When there is trouble in spatial relationships or understanding visual images.
- Problem with writing and speaking new words.
- Forgetting after keeping things at any place.
- Declination or poor judgment due to lack of memory.
- Withdrawing from social activities or work.
- Quickly change of mood and personality.
- Due to lack of memory, when someone keeps repeating the same question.
- Moaning, groaning, or grunting out of the blues.
- Increase in sleeping time.
- Loss of bladder control and bowel
Treatment for Alzheimer’s
Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s because it isn’t possible to reverse the death of brain cells. However, there are a few treatments that can be followed by someone showing early signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s.
- One should take care of any other medical condition that’s occurring alongside Alzheimer’s.
- You should assist and help the sufferer to join daycare programs and activities that would help them.
- You should take the help and support of other groups and people.
This extensive blog helps in understanding and getting informed about the various things about Alzheimer’s. Though there are no medications, therapy, or activity that can alter the effects of this disease, there still are some medicines that can reduce the rate of deterioration. Also, there are the causes that can trigger this problem so now if you are following any of those it is better to stop it right there.
For any medical treatment consultation or affordable medical treatment in India, contact Medi Connect India.