The brain is the most complex organ in the human body, consisting of nearly a hundred billion neurons or nerve cells that process and relay information. Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that causes nerve cells to deteriorate and lose their function. It triggers cognitive impairment that affects a person’s day-to-day activity. Understanding the causes, risks, and symptoms is crucial in diagnosing this chronic progressive disorder early. Here is a complete overview of the disease.

Causes and risk factors

Various underlying health conditions and external factors increase the risk of Alzheimer’s progression.

Age

Advancing age is one of the primary risk factors associated with conditions like Alzheimer’s. Adults over 65, especially older women, are at high risk. This risk also increases exponentially every five years for most people diagnosed.

Family history

Having a family history of this progressive disorder where parents, grandparents, or siblings have had the condition previously also increases the risk.

Hereditary factors

Underlying genes that disrupt the DNA sequence also trigger Alzheimer’s disease. However, less than 1% of the cases detected are the direct result of hereditary factors that affect both risk genes and deterministic genes.

Down syndrome

Down Syndrome is a genetic condition where a baby develops an extra chromosome affecting its body and brain development. In multiple studies, Down syndrome has been cited as a potential risk factor for Alzheimer’s development during old age.

Traum or injury

A Traumatic Brain Injury or TBI can also lead to the development of cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s and dementia. The risk is high during the first six months to two years after recovering from the injury, as brain tissue takes time to heal.

Poor lifestyle choices

Lack of exercise, disruption in daily sleep, and not dealing with chronic complications like high blood pressure and diabetes can also lead to the development of Alzheimer’s. These lifestyle choices affect the cognitive function that controls all body systems.

Symptoms of Alzheimer’s

Symptoms may vary depending on the stage of Alzheimer’s.

Memory problems

Memory problems are one of the early indicators of Alzheimer’s disease. At first, the symptoms are small, ranging from trouble recollecting conversations to even facing difficulty recalling recent events. These will vary in severity, so there is no standard way to determine. Memory problems get worse with the progression of the disease. Advanced symptoms include repeating statements multiple times, misplacing items, having trouble navigating familiar routes, forgetting the names of familiar people and objects, and having trouble expressing the right words.

Problems with reasoning and analyzing

The brain processes information to promote a decision. So, the development of Alzheimer’s can affect something as simple as listening to a set of instructions and following them to get the task done. Multi-tasking may also become difficult as the brain cannot comprehend the information. People with the condition often struggle with processing numbers, making simple daily calculation tasks difficult.

Changes in personality

Cognitive function controls all the emotional responses that make a person happy, sad, angry, or afraid. Alzheimer’s disrupts this processing ability of the brain and triggers personality changes, leading to mood swings and behavioral problems. One might experience severe social withdrawal, a lack of interest in activities, extreme euphoria, and more. Over time, these changes affect a person’s judgment, and they might tend to make poor choices.

Other evident warning signs

Confusion with time and space, difficulty understanding visual cues, difficulty with spatial judgments, difficulty speaking or mispronouncing, not making sense during a conversation, and poor cognitive processing are all symptoms of Alzheimer’s that develop gradually.

Treatments

Alzheimer’s is a progressive disorder with no cure. So, health experts can only suggest a combination of prescriptions and palliative care to improve the outlook for people living with Alzheimer’s.

Mild to moderate symptoms of Alzheimer’s can be managed with prescription remedies that help boost brain activity to fight the progressive symptoms. In addition, the FDA has also approved treatments that slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s by inhibiting the release of amyloid proteins. Alzheimer’s treatments aim to stabilize or delay the cognitive, behavioral, and functional decline.

Palliative care and rehabilitation

These techniques may vary depending on the severity of the symptoms and progression of the condition.

• Managing Alzheimer’s at home is possible with the help of friends and family members who support and encourage patients.
• Daily nutrition, physical activity, and social interaction are the three pillars of maintaining a stable outlook for progressive disorders like Alzheimer’s.
• Engaging the mind in daily activities that promote neural networks to develop and restore communication helps build the brain function necessary for daily routine.