Overview:
Alzheimer’s is a brain disease that causes memory loss, makes thinking more challenging and causes other problems concerning behaviour. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. Alzheimer’s currently affects around 465,000 people in the UK alone.
The symptoms:
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 50 to 70 percent of dementia cases.
The most common symptoms are:
– General confusion, and frequently forgetting the names of people, places, appointments and recent events.
– Mood swings. They may feel sad or angry. They may feel scared and frustrated by their increasing memory loss.
– Become more withdrawn, due either to a loss of confidence or to communication problems.
Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, where symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years. In its early stages, memory loss is mild, and may even go un-noticed. But with later-stage Alzheimer’s, individuals lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to their environment. Life long family members can become strangers to somebody suffering from late-stage Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Those with Alzheimer’s live an average of eight years after their symptoms become noticeable to others, but survival can range from three to 20 years, depending on age and other health conditions.
However, Alzheimer’s isn’t confined to those in their old age. Up to 5% of sufferers have what is called early-onset Alzheimer’s (also known as younger-onset). This can effect people as young as 40.
What causes Alzheimer’s?
Scientists are still trying to fully understand the causes of the disease. However, we do know that Plaques and Triangles are responsible in some way.
Plaques and Triangles are names given to build ups of protein in the brain. Plaque build up happens between brain nerve cells, whereas Triangles build up inside the nerve itself.
Scientists are still studying how plaques and tangles are related to Alzheimer’s disease. One theory is that they block nerve cells’ ability to communicate with each other, making it difficult for the cells to survive.
Autopsies have shown that most people develop some plaques and tangles as they age, but people with Alzheimer’s develop far more than those who do not develop the disease. Scientists still don’t know why some people develop so many compared to others. However, several risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease have been uncovered.
Is there a cure?
Despite Alzheimer’s having no current cure, treatments for symptoms are available and deep research continues. In fact, over 90% of what we know about Alzheimer’s today has been discovered over the last 15 years, an indication of the focus given to the disease. Although current Alzheimer treatments cannot stop Alzheimer’s from progressing, they can temporarily slow the worsening of symptoms and improve quality of life for those with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. Today, there is a worldwide effort being taken to prevent, delay and eventually eradicate Alzheimer’s from the lives of those who suffer from it.