alzheimer

Information About Alzheimer’s Disease

The devastating thing about Alzheimer’s Disease is the amount of suffering in not just those afflicted, but also in those that care for them. That is not to say that there is anything easy about Alzheimer’s when it affects you, but that it also is a very trying mental and emotional toil for the caregivers and loved ones as well. What is worse is when the disease hits and people don’t know enough about Alzheimer’s. So here is some basic information about Alzheimer’s to help you prepare if this unfortunate disease ever appears with you or your loved ones.

The first thing to understand about Alzheimer’s is that it is a lethal brain disease without a cure. Everyone, currently, that has Alzheimer’s does pass away; in the United States, it is the seventh leading cause of death in adults. It is also a progressive disease. This means that, unlike an illness such as cancer, which has improvements and declines in health, Alzheimer’s is a relatively steady descent towards death; as time progresses, the disease invariably worsens.

The most prominent fact about Alzheimer’s is, of course, the dementia that follows. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. This severe form of memory loss is usually the most tragic thing about Alzheimer’s; patients forget who they are, and who they people are around them. This is painful, as many patients are elderly and have been involved with their loved ones or family members for decades.

While scientists are not clear what exactly causes Alzheimer’s, there are a few risk factors that you can control. While the exact cause of Alzheimer’s isn’t known, medical experts agree that brain health is of paramount importance. Taking precautions against head injuries, such as wearing a helmet during any appropriate activity and always wearing a safety belt in moving vehicles are a couple of steps that will prevent serious head injuries, which have been linked to cases of Alzheimer’s. Scientists have also found a strong link between heart health and brain health. Taking appropriate dietary and exercise measures to promote healthy heart function can help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. Finally, Alzheimer’s is a disease that is found most often in the elderly, so healthy aging strategies such as minimizing alcohol and eliminating tobacco and drug use as well as a healthy diet and weight should go a long way to preventing Alzheimer’s.

Knowing more about Alzheimer’s is crucial for those either diagnosed or close to someone that has succumb to this life-altering and life-ending disease. While there is no cure, there is a lot of treatment available and with the medical attention about Alzheimer’s at its highest levels ever, the cure for the disease may be right around the corner.

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Making The Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s

Unfortunately there is no single definitive test for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease. The doctors making the diagnosis’s are compelled to use the history of symptoms presented by the patient, or the patient’s family along with results of neurological examinations and any results obtained from diagnostic testing to rule out other conditions. When the diagnosis is finally made, the determination will be most likely that Alzheimer’s disease is the "probably" cause of the symptoms because other dementia conditions can and do cause similar signs and symptoms as one would present with regarding a diagnosis for Alzheimer’s. There are some obvious and sometimes subtle differences though in Alzheimer’s and other dementia conditions. Other dementia often times will not progress and may even improve with treatment. Alzheimer’s does not improve and it always progresses in a decline in both cognitive and behavioral condition.

The tests to rule out other conditions and point to Alzheimer’s include taking a mental status test, and also neuropsychological assessments. These tests can help to determine how the cognitive and memory functions are being affected and to what intensity the patient’s cognitive abilities have been affected. Attention span, learning ability, recall, language and visuospatial abilities will be tested. Test results will be compared to patients of similar age and educational background.

A series of interviews of the patient and those who are familiar with the patient will also be conducted with the purpose of determining how well the patient is able to function with daily tasks and to ascertain the emotional state of the individual. Personality and behavioral changes will also be noted.

A medical history will be taken to determine if there has been any history of alcohol or drug abuse, early childhood head trauma or other events that may contribute to memory loss.

Next, psychiatric assessments will be conducted to determine if depression or other mental illnesses are present.

Blood and urine tests may be ordered to rule out infections or other physical conditions that may contribute to the symptoms such as anemia, thyroid involvement, kidney or liver disease, vitamin deficiency or other factors that may have an impact on memory problems.

Scans such as a computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positive emission tomography (PET) may be ordered to help detect the presence of strokes, tumors or other brain conditions which may mimic the same symptoms as Alzheimer’s. These brain scans can also show changes in the brain structures that are associated with memory loss.

In the course of ruling out other conditions tests such as an electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyogram (EMG) or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) done by a spinal tap might also be done.

Ruling out other mental conditions or physical illnesses are an important part of coming up with the diagnosis of probable Alzheimer’s disease especially in the early stage of the disease. When the patient presents for a diagnosis and is already in the moderate stage of the disease the diagnosis is easier to make because of the progressive nature of the disease. 

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