Life Expectancy After Alzheimer’s Diagnosis

Stages Of Alzheimer Disease

The stages of Alzheimer disease usually follow a progressive pattern. But each person moves through the disease stages in his or her own way. Knowing these stages helps healthcare providers and family members make decisions about how to care for someone who has Alzheimer disease.

Preclinical stage. Changes in the brain begin years before a person shows any signs of the disease. This time period is called preclinical Alzheimer disease and it can last for years.

Mild, early stage. Symptoms at this stage include mild forgetfulness. This may seem like the mild forgetfulness that often comes with aging. But it may also include problems with concentration.

A person may still live independently at this stage, but may have problems:

• Remembering a name

• Staying organized

• Managing money

The person may be aware of memory lapses and their friends, family or neighbors may also notice these difficulties.

Moderate, middle stage. This is typically the longest stage, usually lasting many years. At this stage, symptoms include:

• Increasing trouble remembering events

• Problems learning new things

• Trouble with planning complicated events, like a dinner

• Trouble remembering their own name, but not details about their own life, such as address and phone number

• Problems with reading, writing, and working with numbers

As the disease progresses, the person may:

Physical changes may occur as well. Some people have sleep problems. Wandering away from home is often a concern.

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Life Expectancy Following Diagnosis Of Alzheimers Disease Depends On Age At Diagnosis

The life span of people with Alzheimers disease depends greatly on the age of the person when Alzheimers disease is diagnosed, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Determining the survival following a diagnosis of Alzheimers disease is important in helping patients, families, and their caregivers deal with the illness. The findings are published in the November 18, 2002, edition of Archives of Neurology.

The duration of survival following a diagnosis of Alzheimers disease depends critically on the subjects age at diagnosis. The results of this study indicate that the median survival of patients with Alzheimers disease could range from nearly nine years for persons diagnosed at age 65 to approximately three years for persons diagnosed at age 90 years, said Ronald Brookmeyer, PhD, professor of Biostatistics at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Data for the study were collected from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, which began in 1958 to monitor the effects of aging. The participants were asked to return for follow-up visits every two years to be examined and to answer questionnaires. From this study, Dr. Brookmeyer and his colleagues selected 921 participants who were age 55 or older in 1985 and had received some follow-up visits. Alzheimers disease was diagnosed using several neuropsychological tests and deaths were recorded through September 1999.

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What Does Age Have To Do With It

The age you are diagnosed with AD may have the greatest impact on your life expectancy. The earlier you are diagnosed, the longer you may live. Researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health have discovered that the average survival time for people diagnosed at age 65 is 8.3 years. The average life expectancy for people diagnosed at age 90 is 3.4 years.

Care In The Later Stages Of Dementia

There are medicines used in the early stages of dementia that manage some of the behavioural symptoms. In the later stages some of these medicines can do more harm than good causing severe side effects that can increase confusion and frailty. It also becomes harder to diagnose and manage some of the normal illnesses that older people get such as Urinary Tract Infections . UTIs can exaggerate some symptoms of dementia and increase confusion sometimes know as delirium.

Pain is also something that can be present in the later stages of dementia, but can be harder to diagnose if the person isnt able to communicate it. For all of these reasons, its important to stay vigilant when looking after someone with dementia, and to talk to the GP if you are worried about anything.

There are dementia living aids and products that can help you to care for someone living with dementia. Something like a simple dementia clock or personal alarm can make the world of difference to your life and the live of the person you care for.

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Stages Of Dementia Life Expectancy

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Lewy Body Dementia Prognosis

Lewy body dementia is a form of dementia characterized by the development of abnormal deposits in the brain. People with Lewy body dementia have trouble with movement as well as cognitive decline. Thinking problems generally show up before movement problems. As Lewy body dementia progresses, affected individuals may also experience visual hallucinations and sleep problems.

Life expectancy for a person with Lewy body dementia is approximately 2 to 8 years after the onset of noticeable symptoms.

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Variables Impacting Life Expectancy Calculations

Gender. Men dont live as long with Alzheimers as women. A study of more than 500 people diagnosed with Alzheimers disease between 1987 and 1996 found that women with Alzheimers live, on average, 20% longer than men. Age. Someone diagnosed at 65 lives an average of about eight years, while someone over 90 who gets a diagnosis typically lives about three-and-a-half more years. Strength of Symptoms at Diagnosis. If someone is showing especially severe dementia-related problems at the time of diagnosis, this usually leads to an earlier death. Someone who wanders, is prone to falling, and experiences urinary incontinence , will typically not live as long. A lower mini-mental state examination score at the time of diagnosis will also not live as long. Other Health Problems. A person with a history of heart problems or asthma or diabetes, for example, will not live as long as someone without those underlying issues.

Factors That Determine Longevity

One study of 438 patients in the U.K. found that the main factors that determine how long a person lives after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease are age, gender, and level of disability. Here are the main research findings:

• Women lived an average of 4.6 years after diagnosis, and men lived 4.1 years.
• People diagnosed when under age 70 lived 10.7 years compared to 3.8 years for people over 90 when diagnosed.
• Patients who were frail at the time of diagnosis did not live as long, even after adjusting for age.
• Overall, the average survival time for someone in the study diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia was 4.5 years.

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Who Is Affected By Tremor

About 70% of people with Parkinsons experience a tremor at some point in the disease. Tremor appears to be slightly less common in younger people with PD, though it is still one of the most troublesome symptoms. People with resting tremor usually have a more slowly progressing course of illness than people without tremor.

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Complications Related To Parkinsons Can Affect Survival

Claudia Chaves, MD, is board-certified in cerebrovascular disease and neurology with a subspecialty certification in vascular neurology. She is an associate professor of neurology at Tufts Medical School and medical director of the Lahey Clinic Multiple Sclerosis Center in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Parkinsons is a common neurodegenerative disease, and although it is not fatal, research suggests it may influence life expectancy.

A 2012 study in Archives of Neurology examined the six-year survival of nearly 140,000 Medicare beneficiaries with Parkinsons disease in the United States. During the six-year period, 64% of the participants with Parkinsons disease passed away.

The risk of death of those with Parkinsons was then compared to Medicare beneficiaries who did not have Parkinsons or any other common diseases, including:

• Alzheimers dementia

When controlling for variables like age, race, and gender, the six-year risk of death among people with Parkinsons was found to be nearly four times greater than those Medicare beneficiaries without the disease or other common diseases.

At the same time, the rate of death among those with Parkinsons disease was similar to those with hip fracture, Alzheimers dementia, or a recent heart attackalthough it was higher than those who had been newly diagnosed with either colorectal cancer, stroke, ischemic heart disease, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

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Stage : Moderate Decline

During this period, the problems in thinking and reasoning that you noticed in stage 3 get more obvious, and new issues appear. Your friend or family member might:

• Forget details about themselves
• Have trouble putting the right date and amount on a check
• Forget what month or season it is
• Have trouble cooking meals or even ordering from a menu
• Struggle to use the telephone
• Not understand what is said to them
• Struggle to do tasks with multiple steps like cleaning the house.

You can help with everyday chores and their safety. Make sure they aren’t driving anymore, and that no one tries to take advantage of them financially.

The Role Of Dementia And Age

Dementia also plays an important role in survival with Parkinsons. By the end of the above study, nearly 70% of the population with Parkinsons had been diagnosed with dementia, and those with dementia had a lower survival rate as compared to those without.

This means that those with dementia were more likely to die during the six-year period than those without dementia. In addition, scientific studies have shown that increasing age is linked to an increased risk of death.

Its important to remember that how a persons Parkinsons disease manifests and progresses is variable, and a persons neurologist cannot accurately predict individual life expectancy.

There are simply no key signs or symptoms that allow a healthcare provider to perfectly predict longevity. An older age and the presence of dementia are simply associated with an increased risk of dying.

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Changes In Mood Emotions And Perceptions

Changes in mood remain in the later stages of dementia. Depression and apathy are particularly common.

Delusions and hallucinations are most common in the late stage of dementia. They are not always distressing but they can explain some changes in behaviour because the persons perception of reality is altered.

People with later stage dementia often respond more to senses than words. They may like listening to songs or enjoy textures. For example, they may like the feel of different types of material.

Dementia And Parkinson’s Life Expectancy

In those with APOE genotyping, 47.5% had one or two APOE 4 alleles. Patients with missing analysis for APOE were older and more commonly PDD patients .

Research specific to dementia is important because the course of the disease is highly variable and uncertain.. Patients with dementia are eligible to receive hospice care if they have a diagnosis of six months or less to live if the disease progresses in a typical fashion.. Parkinsons disease dementia medications Various medications are used to treat the movement disorders of Parkinsons disease, some may exacerbate symptoms related to dementia.. The cause of Parkinsons disease is not yet known.. Most people have the first symptoms of Parkinsons disease after the age of 60 years, but Parkinsons disease also affects younger people.

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What Are The Average Life Expectancy Figures For The Most Common Types Of Dementia

The average life expectancy figures for the most common types of dementia are as follows:

• Alzheimers disease around eight to 10 years. Life expectancy is less if the person is diagnosed in their 80s or 90s. A few people with Alzheimers live for longer, sometimes for 15 or even 20 years.
• Vascular dementia around five years. This is lower than the average for Alzheimers mostly because someone with vascular dementia is more likely to die from a stroke or heart attack than from the dementia itself.
• Dementia with Lewy bodies about six years. This is slightly less than the average for Alzheimers disease. The physical symptoms of DLB increase a persons risk of falls and infections.
• Frontotemporal dementia about six to eight years. If a person has FTD mixed with motor neurone disease a movement disorder, their dementia tends to progress much quicker. Life expectancy for people who have both conditions is on average about two to three years after diagnosis.

To find out about the support available to someone at the end of their life, and to their carers, family and friends, see our End of life care information.

You can also call Alzheimers Society on 0333 150 3456 for personalised advice and support on living well with dementia, at any stage.

Dementia Connect support line

Life Expectancy By Stage Of Alzheimers/dementia

It can be difficult to figure out if a loved one is officially diagnosed with Alzheimers or dementia, especially when symptoms may be murky. In general, symptoms may change or worsen over time, even before any official dementia-related diagnosis.

If you are concerned about early-onset Alzheimers or other types of dementia, you can speak with your physician and review your medical history and the concerns you may have about memory loss and other symptoms. After that, your physician will decide whether you require imaging tests or CT scans, or an MRI to get a better look at your brain for an Alzheimers or dementia marker.

FYI: Finding the right medical alert system for a loved one with dementia can be challenging. Read my list of medical alert systems for dementia to learn more about how these devices can help.

Another way to get an overview of the stages of dementia is the Global Deterioration Scale, a measurement and assessment tool for dementia. Developed by Dr. Barry Reisberg, the Global Deterioration Scale gauges the various stages and levels of severity for Alzheimers and other types of degenerative dementia. It also helps caregivers and individuals have a better understanding of the various stages of dementia.

Typically, an individual who receives an Alzheimers diagnosis can expect to live eight to 12 more years, and some people exceed this. It all varies based on the individuals underlying health conditions, lifestyle, early diagnosis, and other factors.

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Facts About Alzheimer Disease

Alzheimer disease is becoming more common as the general population gets older and lives longer. Alzheimer disease usually affects people older than 65. A small number of people have early-onset Alzheimer disease, which starts when they are in their 30s or 40s.

People live for an average of 8 years after their symptoms appear. But the disease can progress quickly in some people and slowly in others. Some people live as long as 20 years with the disease.

No one knows what causes Alzheimer disease. Genes, environment, lifestyle, and overall health may all play a role.

Does Parkinsons Affect Your Lifespan

Parkinsons research and treatments have come a long way, so much so that the average life span of a person with Parkinsons is the same or near the same as someone without Parkinsons disease. However, the lifespan of a person can vary widely based upon that persons health choices, such as their diet, exercise routine, if they have a history of smoking and many other factors. So, for most people with Parkinsons, as long as you focus on managing your Parkinsons disease and make healthy choices your lifespan should not be shortened.

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Evidence That Life Expectancy Calculators For Dementia Actually Work

It turns out that the length of time a person has before needing full-time care, before moving into a care community, and before dying can all be predicted somewhat accurately. This information, though not definitive, can help families get a general understanding of how to plan for the future and what to expect as the disease progresses.

In a study conducted at the department of neurology in Columbia University, groups of people with mild Alzheimers were followed for 10 years and assessed semiannually. Data from these assessments were plugged into a complicated algorithm. The people studied were tested for the following:

Mental status score Cognition and function Motor skills Psychology and behavior Basic demographic information

Other experiments have yielded similar results. A University of Kentucky study analyzed the records of more than 1,200 people with dementia and found that it was possible to accurately predict their life expectancy. Researchers looked at many variables including family history and medical problems like high blood pressure and heart disease, and ultimately realized it came down to three things:

age when the first symptoms appeared gender how impaired someone was when diagnosis was first made