Archive for December, 2008

Alzheimer’s Symptoms Revealed

Alzheimer’s disease is one of the diseases in which most of the care revolves around the symptoms. The symptoms are significant in making the diagnosis, in understanding the progression from one stage of the disease to the next and in how the treatment plan is designed.

Alzheimer’s progresses from the first stage of the disease (mild) to the second stage (moderate) to the final stage (severe) in a usually slow progression. The symptoms worsen with each stage and so does the required amount of care. By the time the patient is in the moderate stage he or she is requiring a constant caregiver. The reason for the caregiver is because the person with Alzheimer’s cognitive abilities are rapidly declining by the time she or he is in the moderate stage of the disease. Cognitive functioning is necessary for all types of daily tasks from being able to plan, prepare and serve a meal to being able to bath and dress to get ready for the day. Tasks that require complex cognitive skills such as balancing a checkbook, going shopping ding housework and performing tasks required for maintaining employment are often those that are out of the reach of those in moderate stage Alzheimer’s.

The cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer’s include attention span, ability to make decisions, the ability to learn new things, memory retention, planning, perception, problem solving, being able to reason and the ability to think in terms of more than one step at a time. Daily tasks such as being able to get dressed, brush teeth, bath or take a shower, get dressed, plan the day’s activities, pay bills, prepare meals, or do household or employment tasks are all symptoms related to cognitive ability of the patient. When these cognitive symptoms get progressively worse as they do with Alzheimer’s the patient’s ability to safely function in daily tasks declines to the point where it is essential to have a caregiver for safety and health reasons.

Behavioral symptoms are perhaps the most confusing for family members and others close to the individual because they involve the attitude of the person, gestures that the individual makes that may be completely out of character, and reactions to situations may be completely inappropriate especially while out in public. Moods will completely change and baffle friends and family members.

The symptoms will define the disease from the diagnosis to the identifying of stages as the patient progresses through them. The treatment plan will be based on the symptoms and their severity. Caring for the Alzheimer’s disease patient will be largely based upon the symptoms and how they affect the health and safety of the individual. Understanding what symptoms is part of the disease and why the individual is acting the way they do allow others to have compassion for the patients and assures that the quality of care will be appropriate. It is important that all caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s be educated regarding the symptoms and the progression of the symptoms. 

Tags: alzheimers symptoms, alzheimers

Can You Reduce Your Risk For Alzheimer’s Disease?

The issue of reducing the risk of any disease, including Alzheimer’s disease is always of interest because the prognosis is so devastating to those who are diagnosed as well as for their family members. Basically most of the time it is reasonable to believe that if you improve your health, you decrease your risk for most disease. Alzheimer’s is no exception to this chain of thought. Your brain requires nutrients absorbed by the foods we eat so it stands to reason that when you feed your body nutritious foods instead of "junk or processed foods" you will be decreasing your risk for disease, including Alzheimer’s. Researchers have studied diet and the effect certain foods have on those with a higher risk for developing Alzheimer’s such as those with a family history or those with Down’s Syndrome. It was discovered that those who ate diets high in fat, were seven times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s. Researchers also believe that according to study results foods high in antioxidants such as fruits and vegetables as well as by consuming fish. They also found that foods rich in vitamin B may also reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s because vitamin B lowers homocysteine levels in the bloodstream, lowering your risk for Alzheimer’s.

In order to reduce your risk doctors and scientists advice patients to monitor blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as to keep blood glucose in check. It is important to maintain healthy weight and to stay active physically.

You may also lower your risk for Alzheimers by avoiding aluminum and mercury. There has been much controversy lately about vaccines containing mercury. Flu vaccines for example can contain as much as 25 micrograms of mercury and only one microgram is considered to be toxic. When an individual is exposed to aluminum and mercury. These ingredients found in most childhood vaccines and in flu vaccines build up in the brain.

The way to reduce your risk for developing Alzheimers is to limit as much as humanly possible the risk factors that you are exposing your brain to. One risk factor for Alzheimer’s is advanced age (not much you can do there) and age is the most important of all risk factors for Alzheimers. If you are over 85 years of age you have a 1 in 4 chance for developing the disease and if you are between the ages of 75 and 84 you have a 1 in 14 chance for developing the disease and if you are between the ages of 65 and 74 you have a 1 in 100 chance for developing Alzheimer’s disease.

If you have a parent with Alzheimer’s disease, you and every son or daughter of the same parent each have a 50% chance of inheriting the disease gene and develop Alzheimers as they age.

Scientists have discovered that those who have type 2 diabetes have an increased risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease because the utilization of glucose is impaired in the brains of those with type 2 diabetes and it appears that the brain of the person with Alzheimer’s is insensitive to insulin.

Research has shown that individuals who have been diagnosed as having Down’s Syndrome have changes in brain cells that are typically seen in those with Alzheimer’s disease and that these individuals will usually develop Alzheimer symptoms or signs by the time they are in their 50s or 60s.

Studies show that 85% of individuals suffering from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) will develop Alzheimer’s disease within 10 years of developing MCI.

Individuals who have developed brain injuries, especially if they suffered concussions as a result of the injuries, are at increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

Women have an increased risk for Alzheimers simply because they tend to live longer than men. It is also believed that women have an increased risk for diabetes and since diabetes is a risk factor for alzheimers there is a connection there that increases the risk for women.

Other risk factors or Alzheimer’s disease include chronic inflammatory conditions such as certain types of arthritis, clinical depression, strokes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high levels of stress, cognitive laziness, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption or illegal drug abuse.

Tags: reduce your risk for alzheimers, alzheimers