What is Alzheimer’s Prevention?

Alzheimer's disease is one of the most serious concerns among ageing people and their families who deal with the situation. The prospect of developing the disease can be frightening!

Let's get a full understanding of Alzheimer's disease.

What is Alzheimer's Disease?

Alzheimer's disease is a neurological condition that worsens with time. It causes the death of brain cells and brain shrinkage. Patients with Alzheimer’s go through multiple stages that affect thinking, memory, cognitive behaviour, and basic daily skills. The most noticeable Alzheimer's symptom is the progressive loss of memory, also referred as dementia.

The individual loses the ability to carry out regular tasks. It can also lead to mortality due to extreme dehydration, infection, malnutrition, and bedsores.

Recognizing the symptoms and early stages of Alzheimer's disease may help in reducing the disease's progression and in enhancing the person's quality of life. Medical care, combined with continuous support from friends and family, can enable a person diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease live a longer life.

What are the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease?

Confusion and memory loss are the most common signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Early detection and treatment can help to slow the disease's progression. Early symptoms of the condition include:

• Trouble performing daily tasks
• Inability to make a decision
• Forgetting basic things
• Confusion with time, date, and directions
• Frequent behaviour change
• Difficulty in writing and speech

People can reduce their risk and manage the disease by identifying the symptoms with early diagnosis.

Is Alzheimer's disease curable?

There is currently no cure for Alzheimer's disease, however, medications and therapy can help reduce the symptoms.

Can Alzheimer's disease be prevented?

The cause of the condition is still unclear and hence specific approach for its prevention is still under research.

However, by lowering the risk factors, the risk of developing the condition can be reduced. Such measures include:

• Regular exercise
• Social engagement
• Mental stimulation
• Healthy diet
• Stress management
• Vascular health
• Quality sleep

The more we try to improve each of the above pillars in our daily lives, the longer and stronger the brain will work. You'll also be able to lower the risk of getting Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia, as well as prevent the development of more severe symptoms.

Alzheimer's disease is not only a risk in old age; it can begin in the brain long before symptoms appear, often in middle age. That means it's never too early to start caring about your brain's health.

For more information on Alzheimer’s and its symptoms management, talk to our neurologists.

Citations

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/584730

https://www.nature.com/articles/nrd2896

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199911253412207

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0166223603000675