A developing brain disorder — Alzheimer’s can destroy memory and thinking skills slowly. It can also diminish and further destroy the ability of an individual to carry out even the simplest of daily tasks, thereby making it the universal form of dementia. It stems from the complex changes in the brain of the individual, the buildup of abnormal proteins such as tau and amyloid, which can further lead to damage to the neuron and cell death.
Understanding Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s refers to a neurodegenerative disease which is the common reason behind dementia. It encompasses continuous loss of certain cognitive functions such as memory, reasoning and thinking. Though age is the biggest risk factor behind it, health, lifestyle and genetics of an individual also play significant roles in developing this condition.
10 early signs of Alzheimer’s
The early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease include —
- Common tasks – It becomes difficult to struggle with the daily routine tasks, such as driving to a location you are familiar with, arranging grocery items, or even remembering various rules of games or ethical guidelines.
- Loss of memory – Forgetting important dates, recently learned information or asking the exact same questions again and again, and the individual starts depending on the reminders for remembering the important dates and other stuff.
- Confusion – It becomes difficult to keep track of dates, time and even seasons. Sometimes, the individual gets lost in the most familiar and well-known places.
- Problem-solving and planning – People with Alzheimer’s find it hard to follow a plan and to work with numbers.
- Word finding – It seems like a strenuous task to find the right words, such as stopping in between the sentences because they do not find the correct word and also calling things by the wrong names.
- Issues with vision – Individuals with Alzheimer’s find it troublesome to judge distances and read. They have trouble with the perception of depth. This affects their driving, too.
- Poor judgment – It becomes difficult to manage personal hygiene, and also, money-related decisions become questionable.
- Withdrawal – The person with Alzheimer’s is pulled away from his hobbies, work and also social events because of the new challenges that arise for them.
- Changes in personality and mood – The individual with Alzheimer’s becomes confused and suspicious, which further leads to him feeling depressed, fearful and anxious.
- Misplacing certain things – Alzheimer’s results in making the person accuse others of theft because, many times, he keeps certain things in places and forgets them. He is then unable to retrace the steps and find those things.
Causes behind Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s is caused mainly by the increasing age of a person. But in some cases, many other causes can be present which contribute towards the progression of the disease. These causes are —
- A complex mixture of protein buildup, which includes tau tangles and amyloid plaques
- Lifestyle as well as environmental factors such as heart health, age, any injury and education.
- Genetic predispositions such as rare early-onset genes or APOE4
These are the factors that destroy the brain cells, which can further lead to neuron death and a shrinking of the volume of the brain and communication disorders. The exact trigger for the building up of protein still remains unknown.
Conclusion
Alzheimer’s can be managed through medication and by incorporating certain lifestyle changes. You can consult the neurologist for a specific diet, and the doctor will give you effective advice that would be suitable for your condition. Visit Jhawar Hospital and receive the best treatment for all kinds of neurological disorders. Dr Sukhdeep Singh Jhawar aims to provide comprehensive neuro treatment to the patients with empathy and care.
