Alzheimers Disease

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The most common form of dementia among older people is Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which primarily involves the parts of the brain that control memory, though and speech. As a form of Dementia, Alzheimers Disease is a disorder that seriously affects a person’s ability to carry out daily activities. Although scientists are continually learning more about the disease, there is currently no known cure or conclusive evidence as to waht causes the disease.

As a neurodegenerative disease, characterised by progressive cognitive deterioration together with declining activities of daily living and neuropsychiatric symptoms, suffers of AD will experience behavioural changes the most striking early symptom being loss of short term memory which usually manifests as minor forgetfulness and becoming more pronounced as the illness progresses.

As the disorder progresses, cognitive (intellectual) impairment extends to the domains of language (aphasia), skilled movements (apraxia), recognition (agnosia), and those functions (such as decision-making and planning) closely related to the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain as they become disconnected from the limbic system. AD is sometimes described as a disease where the victims suffer the loss of qualities that define human existence.

Early Symptoms

Common patterns of symptom progression that occur in many individuals with Alzheimer’s disease have been recorded resulting in the development of several methods of stages of Alzheimers based on these patterns. Progression of symptoms corresponds in a general way to the underlying nerve cell degeneration that takes place in Alzheimer’s disease. Nerve cell damage typically begins with cells involved in learning and memory and gradually spreads to cells that control other aspects of thinking, judgment and behaviour. The damage eventually affects cells that control and coordinate movement.

AD begins slowly; at first the only symptom may be mild forgetfulness which is often confused with age-related memory change. Most people with mild forgetfulness do not have AD. In the early stage of AD, people may have trouble remembering recent events, activities, or the names of familiar people or things. They may not be able to solve simple math problems. Such difficulties may be a bother, but usually they are not serious enough to cause alarm.

As the disease develops, symptoms are more easily noticed and become serious enough to cause people with AD or their family members to seek medical help. Forgetfulness begins to interfere with daily activities.

Warning Signs

1. Asking the same question over and over again.

2. Repeating the same story, word for word, again and again.

3. Forgetting how to do basic taks such as cooking ot sewing; activities previously done with ease and regularity.

4. Losing the ability to pay bills or budget effectively

5. Getting lost in familiar surroundings, or misplacing household objects.

6. Neglecting to bathe, or wearing the same clothes over and over again, while insisting that they have taken a bath or that their clothes are still clean.

7. Relying on someone else, such as a spouse, to make decisions or answer questions they previously would have handled themselves.

Treatment

There is currently no cure for Alzheimer's Disease, and no way to slow the progression of the disease. For some people in the early or middle stages of Alzheimer's Disease, certain medications may alleviate some cognitive symptoms, or keep the symptoms from getting worse for a limited time. Other medications may help control behvaioural symptoms such as sleeplessness, agitation, wandering, anxiety and depression.

To date, only two drugs have been approved for treatment in Australia - Cognex (containing Tacrine) and Aricept.

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