Alzheimer's Day: When does warning bell ring?

Today is World Alzheimer's Day, a day dedicated to spread awareness and understand how Alzheimer's disease affects the brain. Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a chronic neuro-degenerative disease which gradually worsens over time. However, the cause for most Alzheimer's cases are still mostly unknown.

In India, around four million people suffer from some sort of dementia, the overall term for diseases and conditions where a person's ability to perform daily task gets affected. Across the globe the number is 44 million, indicating a detrimental mental health crisis which needs to addressed as swiftly as possible.

The most progressive type of Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. If addressed in an early stage, medications can help treat the symptoms. Apparently, no treatment is available as of now to stop the disease, though there are medications to treat the symptoms.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), is a condition which is seen as an early signs of Alzheimer's, but, not everyone with MCI will develop Alzheimer's Disease. Those suffering from MCI are able to take care of themselves and function normally.

Eight early signs of Alzheimer's Disease

1. Memory loss: Forgetfulness is one of the most common symptom that appears with the onset of Alzheimer's Disease. Though this doesn't count forgetting casual dates or events, but when someone forget big things that has happened, when they repetitively asks same questions, it's time to take it seriously and see a doctor.

2. Difficulty planning and solving problems: Following a plan of action, working with numbers, facing problems with maintaining monthly bills can become a difficult job.

3. Vision: Individuals living with Alzheimer’s may experience difficulty in reading, facing problems in judging distance and determining contrast or color is also noticed in AD.

4. Mood and personality changes: A change in mood and personality often take place creating confusion, suspicion, depression, fearfulness and anxiety.

5. Losing things or misplacing them: One suffering from the disease might start putting things in unusual places and it often becomes impossible to retrace the steps and find the lost items.

6. Withdrawal from work and social gatherings: Social events, work projects or even hobbies that were previously important, start losing importance, avoidance can also increase once the symptoms worsens. Procrastination also takes place.

7. Poor judgement skills: Poor judgement skills resulting to bad decisions starts taking place. For example, one suffering from AD often make mistakes with money.

8. Difficulty completing familiar tasks: Familiar tasks can become hard to take care of. Patients suffering from AD start feeling disoriented, lost and faces hardships completing general task at work.

Eight signs of severe Alzheimer’s Disease

1. Increased sleeping
2. Weight loss
3. Inability to communicate
4. Seizures
5. Skin infections
6. Difficulty swallowing
7. Loss of bowel and bladder control
8. Groaning or moaning

Aspiration pneumonia, a type of pneumonia that develops when a person faces difficulty in swallowing properly and takes food or liquids into the lungs can be the cause of death for people with Alzheimer's Disease.

Risk factors of Alzheimer's Disease

Age: As you get older, the chances of getting diagnosed with Alzheimer's increases. Though age increases the risk, it is not the direct cause of the disorder. According to Alzheimer's association, after age 65, the risk of Alzheimer's doubles every five years. After age 85, the risk reaches nearly one-third.

Family history: Alzheimer's can be traced back to the family history of that person. Those who have a brother, parent or sister with Alzheimer's are more likely to develop the disease. Genes are very important to track such diseases in family members.

Smoking: Cigarette smoking is normally related to a wide range of cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes. The Alzheimer's Association has stated that cigarette smoking increases your risk to 45 per cent.

Other risk factors: Other risk factors include high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity and lack of physical activities can also increase your risk. Alcohol is one of the most dangerous risk factors and a reason of death and disability worldwide. Although, people who drink moderately have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's than people who are alcoholic. Depression is also one of the factors of developing this disease.

Early detection matters

With time, the symptoms of AD worsen, therefore, starting the treatment in the early stage itself can provide a proper diagnosis further helping in relieving symptoms.

It is probable for family and friends to notice the symptoms of Alzheimer's before the person experiencing the changes in their behaviour. Someone experiencing possible symptoms of dementia must seek a medical evaluation to find the cause before it is too late.