Who Is At Risk Of Dementia
There doesn’t seem to be a single cause of dementia. But current research suggests a combination of factors affect your overall risk of developing dementia.
- Age is the most significant factor. The risk of developing dementia increases with age.
- Genetics don’t seem to play a significant part in your risk of developing dementia, even if your parent or relative has it. It’s only in some cases of early-onset dementia where there appears to be a stronger genetic link, but this is very rare.
- Unhealthy lifestyles have also been shown to increase your risk of dementia.
Signs Of Mild Alzheimers Disease
In mild Alzheimers disease, a person may seem to be healthy but has more and more trouble making sense of the world around him or her. The realization that something is wrong often comes gradually to the person and his or her family. Problems can include:
- Poor judgment leading to bad decisions
- Loss of spontaneity and sense of initiative
- Taking longer to complete normal daily tasks
- Repeating questions
- Increased sleeping
- Loss of bowel and bladder control
A common cause of death for people with Alzheimers disease is aspiration pneumonia. This type of pneumonia develops when a person cannot swallow properly and takes food or liquids into the lungs instead of air.
There is currently no cure for Alzheimers, though there are medicines that can treat the symptoms of the disease.
How Is Alzheimers Diagnosed And Treated
Doctors may ask questions about health, conduct cognitive tests, and carry out standard medical tests to determine whether to diagnose a person with Alzheimers disease. If a doctor thinks a person may have Alzheimers, they may refer the person to a specialist, such as a neurologist, for further assessment. Specialists may conduct additional tests, such as brain scans or lab tests of spinal fluid, to help make a diagnosis. These tests measure signs of the disease, such as changes in brain size or levels of certain proteins.
There is currently no cure for Alzheimers, though there are several medicines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that can help manage some symptoms of the disease along with coping strategies to manage behavioral symptoms. In 2021, FDA provided accelerated approval for a new medication, aducanumab, that targets the protein beta-amyloid, which accumulates abnormally in the brains of people with Alzheimers. The new medication helps to reduce amyloid deposits, but has not yet been shown to affect clinical symptoms or outcomes, such as progression of cognitive decline or dementia.
Most medicines work best for people in the early or middle stages of Alzheimers. Researchers are exploring other drug therapies and nondrug interventions to delay or prevent the disease as well as treat its symptoms.
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Stage : Severe Dementia
Those who reach the last stage of dementia often have lost the ability to speak, move, and do anything on their own. At this point, although they are still alive, its said that the brain has lost its connection to the body.
Although knowing that dementia is permanent and mostly incurable can be daunting, its more than possible to manage and even slow down the symptoms. Thats why its important to recognize the disease early on so that you can take the necessary steps for you or your loved one.
What Is Alzheimers Disease
Dementia is the term applied to a group of symptoms that negatively impact memory, but Alzheimers is a specific progressive disease of the brain that slowly causes impairment in memory and cognitive function. The exact cause is unknown, and no cure is available.
Although younger people can and do get Alzheimers, the symptoms generally begin after age 65.
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What Are The Stages Of Alzheimers
Alzheimers disease slowly gets worse over time. People with this disease progress at different rates and in several stages. Symptoms may get worse and then improve, but until an effective treatment for the disease itself is found, the persons ability will continue to decline over the course of the disease.
Early-stage Alzheimers is when a person begins to experience memory loss and other cognitive difficulties, though the symptoms appear gradual to the person and their family. Alzheimers disease is often diagnosed at this stage.
During middle-stage Alzheimers, damage occurs in areas of the brain that control language, reasoning, sensory processing, and conscious thought. People at this stage may have more confusion and trouble recognizing family and friends.
In late-stage Alzheimers, a person cannot communicate, is completely dependent on others for care, and may be in bed most or all the time as the body shuts down.
How long a person can live with Alzheimers disease varies. A person may live as few as three or four years if he or she is older than 80 when diagnosed, to as long as 10 or more years if the person is younger. Older adults with Alzheimers disease need to know their end-of-life care options and express their wishes to caregivers as early as possible after a diagnosis, before their thinking and speaking abilities fail.
Who Can Diagnose Dementia
Visiting a primary care doctor is often the first step for people who are experiencing changes in thinking, movement, or behavior. However, neurologists doctors who specialize in disorders of the brain and nervous system are often consulted to diagnose dementia. Geriatric psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, and geriatricians may also be able to diagnose dementia. Your doctor can help you find a specialist.
If a specialist cannot be found in your community, contact the nearest medical school neurology department for a referral. A medical school hospital also may have a dementia clinic that provides expert evaluation. You can also visit the Alzheimers Disease Research Centers directory to see if there is an NIA-funded center near you. These centers can help with obtaining a diagnosis and medical management of conditions.
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Conditions With Symptoms Similar To Dementia
Remember that many conditions have symptoms similar to dementia, so it is important not to assume that someone has dementia just because some of the above symptoms are present. Strokes, depression, excessive long-term alcohol consumption, infections, hormonal disorders, nutritional deficiencies and brain tumours can all cause dementia-like symptoms. Many of these conditions can be treated.
What Are Some Complications Of Alzheimers Disease
Alzheimers disease is an irreversible form of dementia. The rate of progression differs between people: some people have it only in the last 5 years of their life, while others may have it for as long as 20 years. Alzheimers disease eventually leads to complete dependence and increasing frailty. This means a secondary illness, such as pneumonia, may eventually cause death.
Other complications of Alzheimers disease may include:
- an inability to complete daily tasks such as planning meals and managing money
- a tendency to wander from home
- personality changes such as anxiety, depression and irritability that make relationships more difficult
- delusions and hallucinations in advanced stages of the disease
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Isnt Dementia Part Of Normal Aging
No, many older adults live their entire lives without developing dementia. Normal aging may include weakening muscles and bones, stiffening of arteries and vessels, and some age-related memory changes that may show as:
- Occasionally misplacing car keys
- Struggling to find a word but remembering it later
- Forgetting the name of an acquaintance
- Forgetting the most recent events
Normally, knowledge and experiences built over years, old memories, and language would stay intact.
What Is Mild Cognitive Impairment
Mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, is a condition in which people have more memory problems than normal for their age but are still able to carry out their normal daily activities. A doctor can do thinking, memory, and language tests to see if a person has MCI. People with MCI are at a greater risk for developing Alzheimers disease, so its important to see a doctor or specialist regularly if you have this condition.
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Terminology In Information Retrieval
In , the positive predictive value is called , and sensitivity is called . Unlike the Specificity vs Sensitivity tradeoff, these measures are both independent of the number of true negatives, which is generally unknown and much larger than the actual numbers of relevant and retrieved documents. This assumption of very large numbers of true negatives versus positives is rare in other applications.
The can be used as a single measure of performance of the test for the positive class. The F-score is the of precision and recall:
- F
What Causes Alzheimers Disease
Apart from the few people with familial Alzheimers disease, it is not known why some people develop Alzheimers disease and others do not.
Health and lifestyle factors that may contribute to the development of Alzheimers disease include:
- physical inactivity
- changes in ability to plan, problem solve, organise and think logically
- taking longer to do routine tasks
- language and comprehension difficulties, such as problems finding the right word
- increasing disorientation in time, place and person
- problems in becoming motivated and initiating tasks
- changes in behaviour, personality and mood.
Someone experiencing symptoms may be unable to recognise any changes in themselves. Often a family member or friend of someone affected will observe changes in a person.
Symptoms vary as the condition progresses and as different areas of the brain are affected. A persons abilities may fluctuate from day to day, or even within the same day. Symptoms can worsen in times of stress, fatigue or ill-health.
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When To Contact A Doctor
A person who experiences any of these symptoms or notices them in a loved one should speak with a medical professional.
According to the Alzheimers Association, it is a myth that cognitive functioning always worsens as a person gets older. While minor forgetfulness can be a normal part of the aging process, if symptoms start to affect a persons everyday life, they may be serious. Signs of cognitive decline may signal dementia or another illness for which doctors can provide support.
Although there is no cure for dementia yet, a doctor can help slow the progression of the disease and ease the symptoms. This can improve a persons quality of life.
Who Gets Dementia
Dementia is considered a late-life disease because it tends to develop mostly in people who are older.
About 5% to 8% of all people over the age of 65 have some form of dementia, and this number doubles every five years above that age. Its estimated that as many as half of people 85 years of age and older have dementia.
The number of people age 65 and older who have Alzheimers disease and related dementias by race is:
- American Indian and Alaska Natives: 9%
- Asian and Pacific Islanders: 8%
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What You Can Do
If you think you notice the signs of Alzheimerâs in yourself or a loved one, the best thing to do is to talk to a doctor. They can let you know what the symptoms mean and what your options are for treating them. There are new advances available which can help with early detection and treatment. One is as simple as a blood test to determine the presence or absence of proteins that may indicate there are Alzheimer’s associated plaques in the brain.
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What Is Dementia Symptoms Types And Diagnosis
On this page:
Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning thinking, remembering, and reasoning to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. Some people with dementia cannot control their emotions, and their personalities may change. Dementia ranges in severity from the mildest stage, when it is just beginning to affect a person’s functioning, to the most severe stage, when the person must depend completely on others for basic activities of living.
Dementia is more common as people grow older but it is not a normal part of aging. Many people live into their 90s and beyond without any signs of dementia.
There are several different forms of dementia, including Alzheimers disease. A persons symptoms can vary depending on the type.
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What We Can Do To Help:
If after looking over this information you have questions or concerns about your loved one, please contactDementiaSupport for assistance with where to go next. We constantly receive calls from worried caregivers wanting the best for their loved ones. Remember that at DementiaSupport you are not alone. We know that you want the best care for your loved ones and we are here to help you as best we can. We also know that it can be overwhelming and upsetting when trying to care for your loved ones. Sometimes when dealing with symptoms of dementia it can even be embarrassing, but remember that this is part of the disease, and know that there are ways to support and even change some of these behaviours. Acknowledge that by reading this information you are taking the first step to improving the quality of life of your loved ones.
If your loved one is experiencing signs and symptoms of dementia, contact us to learn how you can improve their care and use simple tools to help with their daily living. We have lots of experience and are happy to pass on any resources to you.
What’s The Life Expectancy Of A Person With Dementia
Theres no easy way to answer this question. Dementia is an umbrella term that covers the many different types of underlying neurodegenerative diseases.
Each type of neurodegenerative disease has its own unique pattern and development in each person. Also, each person has a unique health profile. Some people may be relatively healthy and others may have several co-existing health issues. All of these factors play a role in the pace of decline in a person with dementia.
To answer more broadly, Alzheimers is the most common type of dementia. The average lifespan after the earliest symptoms is eight years. However, some people have lived as long as 20 years after an Alzheimers disease diagnosis.
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Warning Signs Of Alzheimer’s
Memory often changes as people grow older. Some people notice changes in themselves before anyone else does. For other people, friends and family are the first to see changes in memory, behavior, or abilities. Memory loss that disrupts daily life is not a typical part of aging. People with one or more of these 10 warning signs should see a doctor to find the cause. Early diagnosis gives them a chance to seek treatment and plan for the future.
1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life: forgetting events, repeating yourself or relying on more aids to help you remember .
2.Challenges in planning or solving problems: having trouble paying bills or cooking recipes you have used for years.
3.Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work, or at leisure: having problems with cooking, driving places, using a cell phone, or shopping.
4.Confusion with time or place: having trouble understanding an event that is happening later, or losing track of dates.
5.Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relations: having more difficulty with balance or judging distance, tripping over things at home, or spilling or dropping things more often.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Alzheimers Association have created the Healthy Brain Initiatives State and Local Public Health Partnerships to Address Dementia: The 2018-2023 Road Map.
8. being a victim of a scam, not managing money well, paying less attention to hygiene, or having trouble taking care of a pet.
Difficulty With Familiar Tasks
Some people may have trouble with tasks that theyve been doing for their entire lives, taking longer or even being unable to complete them. They could be unable to navigate to important familiar locations, play a common game, or cook their favourite recipe. They may have extreme difficulty when it comes to dressing themselves, as the choices of what to wear can be overwhelming.
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Medical West Cares About Your Mental Health
Noticing changes in your cognitive abilities can be concerning, but we are here to offer support. Medical West is dedicated to providing world-class healthcare for your and your loved ones. To schedule an appointment or learn more about dementia and Alzheimer’s care and detection, visit Medical West’s website today. Serving Hueytown, Hoover, Bessemer, McCalla, and Vance, Medical West is here for you from the first visit on!
Psychological Changes For Dementia Patients
- Changes in mood: Frequent mood swings, increased sensitivity to change, and increased anxiety and agitation.
- Personality changes: Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities and sometimes completely changed personality and behaviors.
- Hallucinations or paranoia: In later stages of dementia, sufferers may believe that even close friends or family are dangerous or “out to get them”.
- Neglecting safety, personal hygiene, exercise, or nutrition. May display decreased judgement skills involving money, like careless purchases or giving away large sums of money.
- Socially inappropriate behavior: Making rude or explicit sexual comments publicly or to strangers.
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Estimation Of Errors In Quoted Sensitivity Or Specificity
Sensitivity and specificity values alone may be highly misleading. The ‘worst-case’ sensitivity or specificity must be calculated in order to avoid reliance on experiments with few results. For example, a particular test may easily show 100% sensitivity if tested against the four times, but a single additional test against the gold standard that gave a poor result would imply a sensitivity of only 80%. A common way to do this is to state the , often calculated using a Wilson score interval.
for sensitivity and specificity can be calculated, giving the range of values within which the correct value lies at a given confidence level .