What is Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects the coherent thinking, memory and behavior of patients, leading over time to the inability to carry out daily activities. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia in people over 65.
Why does Alzheimer’s disease occur?
Studies to date have shown that protein deposits in nerve cells cause progressive neuronal destruction with loss of brain volume. These changes in the brain take the form of:
- Beta-amyloid plaques that form in the gaps between nerve cells and disrupt interneuronal communication
- Neurofibrillary tangles appear inside the cells and affect the transport of nutrients to the neurons, thus favoring their irreversible loss
These brain changes normally accompany the physiological aging processes of the central nervous system but, in patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, they occur in considerably increased numbers. The role and involvement of plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the onset and progression of the disease are not known exactly, but it is believed that their presence disrupts interneuronal communications and physiological processes necessary for the survival of nerve cells.
What are the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease?
Frequently, a person with Alzheimer’s disease shows as a first symptom in the early stages of the disease, difficulty remembering conversations, events and actions recently performed or remembering newly acquired information (recent memory loss). Progression of the disease leads over time to the appearance of other symptoms represented by:
- Temporal-spatial disorientation
- Mood disorders (depression, apathy) and behavioral disorders (aggressiveness)
- Unjustified panic attacks
- Appearance of unfounded suspicions towards people around (family, caregivers)
- Difficulties in speaking, swallowing and maintaining a sitting posture
- Certain skills acquired during life such as reading, singing, dancing, drawing (and practicing various crafts), and recounting events from the distant past are maintained until the last stages of the disease because they are controlled by areas of the brain that are affected later in the evolution of Alzheimer’s dementia
Depending on the progression and age of onset, Alzheimer’s disease has 5 stages:
- Stage I Preclinical Alzheimer’s: the disease is asymptomatic but can be diagnosed by specific tests to identify amyloid deposits and genetic predisposition
- Stage II or mild cognitive decline manifested by misjudgments of time, loss of recent memory and impairment of rapid decision-making ability
- Stage III or mild dementia is recognized by: repetition by the patient of the same questions, appearance of behavioral changes, difficulty expressing thoughts, loss of ability to manage finances and plan events
- Stage IV or moderate dementia leads to the appearance of temporal-spatial confusion, the feeling of family alienation (the patient does not recognize his family members), the impossibility of performing various daily activities (washing, dressing, cooking)
- Stage V or severe dementia is manifested by loss of speech, eating and swallowing ability, loss of mobility and function of muscles involved in maintaining posture (the patient cannot move and cannot maintain a sitting position without support)
Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease
The diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is interdisciplinary and involves:
- Physical and neurological examination of the patient
- Paraclinical laboratory investigations to exclude avitaminosis and thyroid dysfunction; genetic testing to establish a positive family history of Alzheimer’s disease
- Specific neuropsychological and cognitive testing
- Imaging examination using nuclear magnetic resonance or positron emission tomography to assess the extent of the disease in the brain and exclude other pathologies that may cause cognitive decline and memory problems
Treatment of Alzheimer’s disease
Current treatment methods for Alzheimer’s disease aim to reduce the symptoms of patients but cannot stop the progression of the disease. Antidepressants, sleeping pills, anxiolytics and vitamin supplements are used to relieve depressive states accompanied by sleep disturbances but also to improve the function of remaining neurons while slowing down the progression of the disease.
Adopting a balanced diet and a lifestyle that includes daily exercise, reading and various regular social activities can slow the progression of the disease and help maintain these abilities for as long as possible.
Find out more:
- Alzheimer’s disease – https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-47536-001
- Alzheimer’s disease – https://www.nature.com/articles/461895a
- Alzheimer’s disease – https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/194892
