It’s common for everyone to forget things. Every person experiences mild memory loss at some time in his/her life. Mild forgetfulness can be normal in everyone’s life. But if people forget things more often and experience memory problems that disrupt their daily life, then it might be an indication of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological disorder that causes memory loss and declination of cognitive abilities due to the death of brain cells. It seriously affects a person’s ability to carry out daily activities.
Though Alzheimer’s disease starts slowly and worsens over time, there are some early signs which help diagnose the condition. Though there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, identifying the signs of the disorder at the earliest can prevent it from becoming worse.Every individual may experience a number of symptoms with different levels of severity.
Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s
Memory Loss
Memory loss is the most common symptom of Alzheimer’s disease. People may begin to appear more forgetful than normal. They may forget any information that was read recently and even important dates, names, or events. People who have Alzheimer’s disease may forget big things that had already happened and may ask questions about the same information again and again. This increases the necessity to rely on memory aids like reminder notes.
Difficulty in Completing Daily Tasks
People with Alzheimer’s disease often find it difficult to finish their daily tasks. They might also have trouble driving to a location they are familiar with and experience a lot of problems with concentration. As the disease progresses, routine day-to-day activities which require critical thinking may take a longer time.
Vision Problems
Alzheimer’s disease can affect the vision of the person. This increases the difficulty in reading, judging the distance, determining the colors or contrast; which may result in problems with driving.
Planning or Solving Problems Would Be Challenging
Alzheimer’s disease makes it difficult to make a plan and follow a plan of action. Concentrating and solving problems takes much longer. People with Alzheimer’s disease may have trouble with tracking monthly bills and following a familiar recipe.
Withdrawal From Social Activities
People with Alzheimer’s disease lack motivation and may experience a decreased interest in participating in social activities, sports including their favorite hobbies. They may have trouble completing the work or projects. They may avoid being socially active because of the changes they experience.
Poor Decision Making
Poor judgment is one of the typical symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. People with Alzheimer’s disease lose their ability to make appropriate decisions. They might be unable to evaluate the important different factors that need to be considered while making a decision. This results in poor judgment.
Conversations Become Frustrating
Alzheimer’s disease makes it hard for people to have a conversation. They may have trouble following a conversation, as they may stop in the middle of a conversation and struggle how to continue. They may repeat themselves and find it difficult to find the right vocabulary. People with Alzheimer’s disease may call things by the wrong name, for example; they would call a “watch” a “hand-clock”.
Misplacing and Losing Things
In general, everyone would misplace things and can retrace the steps to find them again. But people with Alzheimer’s disease may place things in unusual places and are unable to retrace them which results in losing things. As they can’t find these missing items, they may also accuse others of stealing.
Time & Places might be Confusing
People can lose track of dates, seasons when they are developing Alzheimer’s disease. They may suddenly forget where they are and may not even remember how they got there.
Mood Changes
Alzheimer’s disease can affect the mood and personalities of people. People may become confused, depressed, anxious, suspicious, and fearful. They may easily get upset at work, at home, or with friends when they are out of their comfort zone.
Amnesia, aphasia, apraxia, and agnosia are the four A's of Alzheimer's disease.
The rate of progression of Alzheimer's disease varies widely. Alzheimer's disease patients live between three and eleven years following diagnosis on average, while some live for 20 years or more. The degree of deterioration at the time of diagnosis can affect life expectancy.
The aberrant buildup of proteins in and around brain cells is thought to be the origin of Alzheimer's disease. Amyloid is one of the proteins involved, and its deposits create plaques surrounding brain cells. The other protein is called tau, whose deposits form tangles within brain cells.
There is currently no cure for Alzheimer's disease. But there is a drug available that can temporarily reduce symptoms. Support is also available to help someone with the condition and their family cope with everyday life.
Many disorders that harm the heart and blood arteries appear to increase the likelihood of acquiring Alzheimer's or vascular dementia. Heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, and excessive cholesterol are among them. Monitor your heart health with your doctor and address any issues that emerge.
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