Alzheimer's Disease

What is Alzheimer's disease?

Alzheimer's disease is an age-related neurodegenerative brain disorder and is the most common form of dementia in older adults.  It develops over a period of several years, and the onset is gradual.  The destruction of neurons eventually leads to behavior and personality changes and loss of cognitive abilities.  In the brain, Alzheimer's causes the following changes: 

• Amyloid plaques - protein plaques that slow neuron communication
• Neurofibrillary tangles - tangles of a different protein that cause neurons to connect with other neuron
• Tissue shrinking - when the neurons can't function properly, they shrink and die.

What is the difference between Alzheimer's disease and dementia?

Dementia is the term applied to a number of different problems that cause cognitive and behavior changes.  Alzheimer's is a specific type of dementia.

Risk Factors

The exact cause of Alzheimer's is still unknown.  However, research has provided some risk factors.  The uncontrollable risk factors are age and genetics.  More controllable risk factors are:

• Vascular disease
• Obesity
• Lack of physical activity
• Diet low in fruits and vegetables

Prevention

Prevention is mainly focusing on the reducing the risk factors above.  However, since the cause of the disease is not known, there is still no sure prevention for it. 

• Intellectually stimulating activity:  Research shows that staying mentally active as we age can help prevent neuron degeneration.
• Social engagement:  Social interaction has shown to decrease the cognitive decline associated with age and decrease risk for dementia.
• A healthy, active lifestyle:  Staying physically fit and trying to eat healthy is good advice for preventing most diseases.

Stages

Alzheimer's disease progresses slowly.  The damage inside the brain begins long before signs and symptoms are evident.  There are stages to the disease:  mild, moderate, and severe.

Mild

• Loses recent memory
• Asks repetitive questions
• Lose drive for activity
• Irritability
• Refusal to make decisions
• Resists change
• May take longer to do routine activities

Moderate

• Changes in behavior, such as sleep or hygiene, are noticeable
• Repeats stories, phrases or actions
• May become sloppy and forget manners
• Make up stories to fill in the gaps in their memory
• May threaten, kick, or bite others
• Mixes up identity of people
• Poor judgment on safety issues

Severe

• Failure to recognize self or family members
• Forgets how to walk
• Lose control of bowel
• Refuse to eat or forgets to swallow
• Sleeps more than usual

Treatment

There is no treatment to stop Alzheimer's disease.  A few drugs have been approved to help maintain cognitive function and control behavioral symptoms.  Other medicines are used to help alleviate the behavioral symptoms like sleeplessness.  However, none of these treatments stops the progression of the disease.

Adapted from:  The National Institutes of Health and The National Institute on Aging