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Hey, how are you doing?
Today we are going to answer the most frequently asked questions about Alzheimer's. Let's get started!
Alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia. Dementia is a general term describing a deterioration of mental
capacity, severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 7 out of 10
cases of dementia. The next most common dementia is vascular dementia, which occurs after a stroke.
There are many more types of dementia, including frontotemporal disorders and dementia of Lewy bodies.
It should also be noted that there are other conditions that can cause symptoms of dementia,
some of which are reversible, such as depression, adverse effects of medication, alcohol abuse,
thyroid problems and vitamin deficiencies.
We have all heard someone refer to dementia as'senility' or'senile dementia',
reflecting the once widespread but incorrect belief that severe mental impairment is part of normal aging.
While the symptoms of dementia can vary greatly, at least two of the following mental functions
must be seriously affected for us to talk about dementia:
Memory.
Communication and language.
Ability to concentrate and pay attention.
Reasoning and judgment.
Visual perception.
People with dementia may have problems with short-term memory, such as forgetting where
they put their purse or wallet, paying bills, planning and preparing meals,
remembering appointments, or moving out of familiar areas.
Many dementias are progressive, starting with mild symptoms.
These signs should not be ignored, and you should consult your health care provider when you are
unable to explain your symptoms. We may be dealing with a treatable disease and, even if the symptoms
suggest dementia, early diagnosis allows the person to benefit from available treatments,
gives them the opportunity to participate in clinical trials and, above all, gives them time to plan their future.
It is important to remember that the stages are general guidelines and that symptoms vary widely.
In other words, there are no diseases, there are the sick.
People with Alzheimer's live an average of eight years from the time other people first notice symptoms,
but the range is from 3 to 20 years. These are the stages:
1. Absence of cognitive impairment, normal function. The person does not experience memory problems
and there are no obvious symptoms even for doctors, but toxic changes in the brain have already begun.
2. Very mild cognitive impairment. He/she may notice some memory lapses,
such as not remembering a word or where he/she left something, but neither doctors nor people with whom
they interact may notice it. At this stage, these changes may be due to aging.
3. Mild cognitive impairment. People he/she interacts with begin to notice symptoms,
and a doctor can measure memory and concentration problems in an in-depth interview.
Moreover, this stage is characterised by:
Significant difficulty in finding the right word or name.
Reduced ability to remember names when introducing new people to him/her.
Significant difficulty in carrying out social or work tasks.
Little retention of what he/she reads.
Loss of objects.
Less capacity to plan and organize.
4. Moderate cognitive impairment, mild or early stage of the disease.
At this point, a thorough medical interview should detect:
Forgetfulness of recent events.
Noteworthy difficulty in performing complex tasks, such as planning a guest meal or managing money.
Forget about personal history.
Very marked mood swings, isolation, especially in situations that pose a social or mental challenge.
5. Moderately severe cognitive impairment, moderate or medium stage of disease.
Memory and cognitive problems are such that they require assistance with daily activities. The person can:
Forget where you live, your phone number or the name of her/his school.
Not knowing where they are or what day it is.
Need help choosing the right clothes for the right time of year or occasion.
In most cases, remember meaningful details about themselves and their families.
In general, feeding and toileting.
6. Severe cognitive impairment. Memory loss and personality changes are such
that they need a lot of help with activities of daily living. The person can:
Losing awareness of recent experiences and events and his/her environment.
Remember your personal history with imperfections, although you usually remember your own name.
Occasionally forget the name of your partner or primary caregiver,
but can usually distinguish familiar from unfamiliar faces.
Requesting help in dressing appropriately and when unsupervised,
and making mistakes such as putting your pajamas over your clothes or shoes on the wrong foot.
Suffering from an alteration of the normal sleep cycle - sleeping during the day and becoming restless during
the night; it is called evening syndrome.
Require help with toilet training.
Losing control of the sphincters.
Experiencing significant changes in personality and behavior, including mistrust and false beliefs
(for example, believing the caregiver to be an impostor), or repetitive and compulsive behaviors,
such as twisting hands or breaking papers.
Have a tendency to wander and stray.
7. Very severe cognitive impairment, severe or late stage disease. In the last stage of this disease,
individuals lose the ability to respond to their environment,
to speak and even to control their movements. They may still say words or phrases.
They need help even to eat and relieve themselves. They may lose the ability to smile, sit unsupported and hold
their heads. Reflexes become abnormal and muscles become stiff. The ability to swallow is also affected.
Scientists still don't fully understand what causes Alzheimer's disease in most people.
In early-onset Alzheimer's, which occurs between the ages of 30 and 60, there may be a genetic component.
Late-onset Alzheimer's, which usually develops well into the 60s, arises from a complex series of brain changes
that occur over decades. Causes probably include a mixture of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors.
These factors affect each person differently.
Dementia is caused by the deterioration of brain cells. This damage interferes with the ability of neurons
to communicate with each other. You have to know that the brain has several regions,
each responsible for one function. When cells in a particular region are damaged,
that region can no longer perform its functions normally.
The region called the hippocampus is the center of learning and memory;
these neurons are often the first to be damaged, and this is why memory loss
is often one of the first symptoms of Alzheimer's.
There is no single test to determine if a person has dementia.
Doctors diagnose Alzheimer's and other dementias based on a detailed medical history,
physical examination, laboratory tests, and the characteristic changes in reasoning, daily functioning,
and behavior associated with each type of dementia. They can determine whether a person has dementia
with sufficient accuracy. However, it is more difficult to determine the exact type of dementia, as the symptoms
and brain changes of different dementias may coincide. In some cases, a doctor may diagnose "dementia"
without specifying its type. If more accuracy is required,
a neurologist or a psychologist specializing in gerontology should be consulted.
Just because one family member has Alzheimer's disease does not mean that others will get it too.
A rare form of Alzheimer's disease, called early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease, or ADD,
is inherited (passed down through families), and depends on the precise genetic mutations being passed
on. In other cases of early-onset Alzheimer's, research suggests that there may be
a genetic component related to other factors.
Most cases of Alzheimer's are late onset. This form of the disease occurs in the mid-60s and usually has no
obvious family pattern. But certain genes appear to increase the risk of this form of disease.
Currently, there is no cure or treatment that slows or stops its progression. However, several medications
have been approved to treat symptoms and help control certain behaviors, and there are also non-drug
therapies that relieve some symptoms of dementia.
Currently, there is no conclusive evidence about what can prevent Alzheimer's disease or age-related
cognitive impairment. However, active research is being conducted on risk reduction in the following areas:
Cardiovascular risk factors: Anything that damages the blood vessels in the brain compromises the supply of
food and oxygen to neurons. Vascular dementia is directly related to damage to these vessels. Other types
of dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies, can also cause such damage.
These changes can interact and cause faster deterioration or more severe impairment.
The smart thing to do is to protect your brain with some of the same strategies that protect your heart:
no smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, controlling blood pressure,
and controlling blood sugar at recommended levels.
Physical exercise: Regular physical exercise can help lower the risk of some types of dementia.
Tests have shown that exercise can benefit neurons by improving blood supply.
Food: What we eat affects heart health, and therefore the brain. This has been seen with the Mediterranean
diet, which includes relatively little red meat, and many cereals, fruits, vegetables, fish, shellfish, nuts,
olive oil and other healthy fats.
That's it for today, thank you very much and see you in the next video!