The Common Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease severely affects the brain. It impairs memory and speech functions. Alzheimer’s disease was earlier known as ‘Presenile dementia’. In 1960, Alois Alzheimer – a German psychologist – carried on extensive research into this progressive disorder of the brain neurons. In recognition of the contributions to this field, the ailment has been rechristened as ‘Alzheimer’s disease’.

Alois proved that the misconceptions connected with presenile dementia were fallacious. The primary ones were that this brain disorder affected only the youth in the age group of 30-45 years. Alois showed that Presinile dementia adversely affected also the elderly people.

Repeated impacts on the brain besides gene mutations may cause Alzheimer’s disease

Former world boxing champion Mohammad Ali who was later christened Classius Clay (after he adopted Christianity as his religion) was afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. He suffered from this progressive brain disorder following the damage on his brain during his heydays while competing inside the boxing ring.

SYMPTOMS OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

It is of utmost importance that all people especially the family members remain alert to certain symptoms that are sure signs of Alzheimer’s disease. These symptoms appear to be apparently simple; but they are the tell-tale signs that the progressive brain disorder is setting in.

* For instance, the Alzheimer patient may harbor strange or imaginary fear about things or incidents that are too fantastic for the normal person.

* Such people may, thus, fear to tread outside the precincts of their homes.

* These persons will start forgetting about simple facts like where they kept the keys etc.

* As a consequence of such effects, the Alzheimer patients tend to become easily irritable.

* The appetite of such people decrease.

* They also feel insecure and suffer from inferiority complex as they fail to do the normal chores.

* Among the initial symptoms is the one that they protest against any attempt by their loved ones to tender the prescribed medical prescriptions.

LATE-ONSET & EARLY ONSET ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Alzheimer’s disease is basically of two types: Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

When Alzheimer’s disease afflicts people in the age bracket of 30-50, it is known as ‘early-onset Alzheimer’s ailment’. Roughly, 10 per cent of the four million cases of Alzheimer’s patients in America fall in the early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

However, in the fast paced modern world having more of nuclear-type of families, the ‘Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease’ has been identified as the most potent cause for loss of memory and speech. Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease is particularly identifiable among people in the 65-plus age group. It accounts for only 10 per cent of the four million cases of Alzheimer’s patients in America.

On the other hand, as many as 50 per cent of the Americans in the 85 and above age group are afflicted by late-onset Alzheimer’s disease.