Alzheimer’s disease: Patients turn Babies Again

Alzheimer’s disease is an ailment of the brain. Alzheimer’s patients gradually but surely lose the faculties of memory and speech. This progressive brain disease has been linked to varied causes. The primary one is the gene of the patient concerned.

ALZHEIMER’S PATIENTS TURN ‘BABIES’ AGAIN

For the people afflicted with this progressive brain disorder it is babyhood revisited. Just as a baby needs constant and intensive care and attention of the parents, the sufferers of Alzheimer’s disease require the patience, love, guidance and care of their near and dear ones. Hence one should know especially about the initial symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

Such knowledge will serve a two-fold purpose: first, the patient would get the immediate and emergent medical aid; and second, the intensity of the brain ailment can be minimized if Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed at the initial stages. Preliminary studies at the early stages and proper follow-up actions can check the disease from assuming alarming proportions.

OTHER CAUSES OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Gene mutations have also been pinpointed as one of the primary causes of Alzheimer’s disease.

Besides, brain trauma is identified as another cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Instances of some veterans of World War – II who later suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and also among certain people who may have suffered sudden and serious brain impacts in their childhood days corroborate the hypothesis. Former world pugilist champion Muhammad Ali (later christened as Classius Clay) suffered from Alzheimer’s disease in the later stages. This is fallout of the forceful and serious impact he felt during his heydays in the boxing ring.

TWO TYPES OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Alzheimer’s disease is basically of two types, viz., early onset Alzheimer’s disease and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

American medical reports have proved there are roughly four million cases of Alzheimer’s patients. But only 10 per cent of these cases fall within the gambit of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. That means early onset Alzheimer’s disease occurs rarely. Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease is evident only among people between 30-50 years.

On the other hand, changed hectic lifestyles, increased tension, and the fast food culture have been identified as the primary causes of the ‘Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease’. In fact, late-onset Alzheimer’s disease has been identified as the potent and common cause leading loss of speech and memory.

According to the age factor, late-onset Alzheimer’s disease is divided into two types: the first type has been found among people in the 65-plus age group. Roughly 10 per cent of the Alzheimer’s patients in America fall in this bracket.

The second type of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease is much more common. Of the four million American Alzheimer’s patients, 50 per cent fall in this group. This second type of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease afflicts people in the 85 plus age group.