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Overview
Alzheimer's Disease is a degenerative brain disease associated with a decline in memory and other cognitive skills severe enough to reduce a person's ability to perform everyday activities.
Symptoms
The characteristic symptoms of dementia are difficulties with memory, language, problem-solving, and other cognitive skills that affect a person’s ability to perform everyday activities.
Causes
Alzheimer's Disease: - Progressive accumulation of the protein fragment beta-amyloid (plaques) outside neurons in the brain and twisted strands of the protein tau (tangles) inside neurons. These changes are eventually accompanied by the damage and death of neurons. Vascular Dementia: - Vascular dementia occurs most commonly from blood vessel blockage or damage leading to infarcts (strokes) or bleeding in the brain. The location, number, and size of the brain injuries determine the occurrence of dementia and the impact on an individual’s thinking and physical functioning.
Diagnosis
There is no single test for Alzheimer’s dementia. Instead, physicians (often with the help of specialists such as neurologists and geriatricians) use a variety of approaches and tools to help to diagnose it. • Obtaining the medical and family history of an individual, including the psychiatric history and history of cognitive and behavioral changes. • Asking a family member to provide an input about changes in thinking skills and behavior. • Conducting cognitive tests and physical and neurologic examinations. • Having the individual undergo blood tests and brain imaging to rule out other potential causes of dementia such as a tumor or certain vitamin deficiencies.
Prevention
Aerobic exercise, mental activity, and social engagement may help in prevention.
Prevention of stroke and minimization of vascular risk factors through controlled blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and smoking cessation may prevent the disease.
Treatment
Donepezil, Memantine, Rivastigmine molecules. Lifestyle changes: - Avoiding brain injury, eating a balanced and healthy diet, getting quality sleep, staying socially engaged, and having good cardiovascular health.
Everyday Life
As the disease progresses, the cognitive impairment gets further hampered but the progression can be controlled with the right medication and exercise.
