Symptoms Dementia And Alzheimer’s

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.

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.

If Your Prescription List Is As Long As Your Arm

Dr. Mitchell explains, “Polypharmacy, or the overuse of medications that typically happens over the years, can be challenging. Therefore, your health care provider must have an up-to-date list of your medications, and periodically you have a medication review so your health care provider can eliminate unnecessary medications and harmful drug interactions and side effects. Polypharmacy can lead to adverse outcomes, including dementia, though more research is needed to understand this.”

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Treatment And Management Options

At present there is no cure for Alzheimers disease and no treatment can stop the condition progressing. However, medications can help stabilise or slow the decline in memory and thinking abilities. Drugs may also be prescribed for secondary symptoms such as agitation or depression, or to improve sleep. Non-drug therapies can be beneficial, such as staying active and socially connected, and managing stress.

Talking to a counsellor or psychologist is important to help manage changes in behaviour and mood.

Occupational therapy can help improve everyday functioning at home.

At all stages of Alzheimers disease, treatments and support services are available to reduce the impact of symptoms, to ensure the best possible quality of life for every person living with the condition.

What Causes Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia

The symptoms of Alzheimers disease dementia occur when brain cells malfunction in memory-related parts of the brain due to the accumulation of abnormal proteins. Alzheimers disease dementia is most commonly caused by Alzheimers disease neuropathology. A diagnosis of Alzheimers disease neuropathology is made when two abnormal proteins called amyloid and tau accumulate in the brain. These proteins accumulate in and around brain cells, which gradually damages and impairs their function.

The neuropathologic diagnosis of AD can only be definitively determined at autopsy through examination of brain tissue with a microscope. However, scientists are working to identify biomarkers that can be used to make the diagnosis during life. Specialized brain scans using positron emission tomography and examination of cerebral spinal fluid , obtained through lumbar puncture, are two biomarkers currently being investigated to assist with determining the neuropathologic diagnosis. Scientists are working to identify additional reliable biomarkers, including detecting markers of the disease using blood samples.

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How Important Are The Stages Of Dementia

The stages of dementia are just a guide and there is nothing significant about the number three. Equally, dementia doesnt follow an exact or certain set of steps that happen in the same way for every person with dementia.

It can be difficult to tell when a persons dementia has progressed from one stage to another because:

• some symptoms may appear in a different order to the stages described in this factsheet, or not at all
• the stages may overlap the person may need help with some aspects of everyday life but manage other tasks and activities on their own
• some symptoms, particularly those linked to behaviours, may develop at one stage and then reduce or even disappear later on. Other symptoms, such as memory loss and problems with language and thinking, tend to stay and get worse with time.

It is natural to ask which stage a person is at or what might happen next. But it is more important to focus on the person in the present moment. This includes their needs and how they can live well, and how to help them with this.

For more support on living well with dementia see The dementia guide: living well after diagnosis or Caring for a person with dementia: a practical guide .

And for more information about treatment and support for the different types of dementia go to the following pages:

• What is frontotemporal dementia ?

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.

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Stages Of Alzheimers Disease

Some features of Alzheimers disease are commonly classified into three stages, or phases. Not all these features will be present in every person, and they might occur at different stages.

Mild Alzheimers disease

Sometimes this stage is only apparent in hindsight. The onset of Alzheimers disease is usually gradual and it is often impossible to identify exactly when it began.

Someone might:

• have difficulty shopping or preparing meals.

Moderate Alzheimers disease

At this stage, the impacts of the condition are more apparent and prevalent. A person may experience significant challenges to their independence and require daily support.

Someone might:

• be forgetful of current and recent events, although generally remember the distant past, even if details may be forgotten or confused
• often be confused regarding time and place
• become lost more easily
• forget the names of family or friends, or confuse family members
• forget saucepans or kettles left heating on the stove
• be less able to perform simple calculations
• show poor judgement and make poor decisions
• see or hear things that are not there or become suspicious of others

Alzheimer’s Or Normal Aging

Just about everyone has minor memory glitches as they get older. If someone forgets a name or why they walked into the kitchen, that doesn’t mean they have Alzheimer’s.

The main problem that defines the disease is trouble planning and handling day-to-day tasks, like paying bills, managing a checkbook, or using familiar appliances around the house.

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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.

Your Family Doesn’t Feel That You Can Attend Appointments Yourself

Dr. Tomi Mitchell, a Board-Certified Family Physician with Holistic Wellness Strategies says, “When family members request to be contacted for appointments because they are concerned that their loved one wouldn’t keep the appointmentthis could be a silent sign of dementia. This is a concern when they don’t feel that their loved ones are capable of managing their health care appointments.”

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Psychological And Psychosocial Therapies

Psychological therapies for dementia include some limited evidence for reminiscence therapy , some benefit for cognitive reframing for caretakers, unclear evidence for validation therapy and tentative evidence for mental exercises, such as cognitive stimulation programs for people with mild to moderate dementia. Offering personally tailored activities may help reduce challenging behavior and may improve quality of life. It is not clear if personally tailored activities have an impact on affect or improve for the quality of life for the caregiver.

Adult daycare centers as well as special care units in nursing homes often provide specialized care for dementia patients. Daycare centers offer supervision, recreation, meals, and limited health care to participants, as well as providing respite for caregivers. In addition, home care can provide one-to-one support and care in the home allowing for more individualized attention that is needed as the disorder progresses. Psychiatric nurses can make a distinctive contribution to people’s mental health.

Some London hospitals found that using color, designs, pictures and lights helped people with dementia adjust to being at the hospital. These adjustments to the layout of the dementia wings at these hospitals helped patients by preventing confusion.

Cognitive training

Personally tailored activities

Changes In Mood Or Emotion

The person may be more anxious, frightened or sad, and so at risk of depression. It is also common to become more irritable perhaps in frustration at lost abilities or easily upset. A person can often be more withdrawn, lack self-confidence and lose interest in hobbies or people.

Changes in behaviour are not common in early-stage dementia, other than in FTD. A person with behavioural variant FTD may lose their inhibitions and behave in socially inappropriate ways. They may also act impulsively and lose empathy for others.

Significant physical changes at this stage tend to be limited to DLB, where problems with movement are similar to Parkinsons disease. If someone with vascular or mixed dementia has a stroke, this can lead to weak limbs on one side.

Need help finding dementia information?Need help finding dementia information? .

Everybody forgets things from time to time. But if you or other people are noticing that memory problems are getting worse, or affecting everyday life, it could be a sign of dementia.

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Lewy Body Disease: What Is It And What Are The Symptoms

There are many different forms of dementia, including the most common, Alzheimers disease. Dementia may also be a consequence of a stroke or infections, alcohol use, or brain injuries.

> > Read Understanding the Different Types of Dementia

One type of dementia is Lewy body dementia. It is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimers, affecting more than 1 million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. It primarily affects people over 50 years of age, although younger people can have Lewy body dementia.

Here is more about Lewy body dementia, what causes it, what to watch for, and how it can be treated.

Signs Of Dementia Where To Find Help

When your loved one is displaying troubling symptoms, a trip to a primary care physician is often the first step. But to get a definitive diagnosis, youll need to see a specialist such as a neurologist, geriatrician or geriatric psychiatrist.

If you cant find one, the National Institute on Aging recommends contacting the neurology department of a nearby medical school. Some hospitals also have clinics that focus on dementia.

Ailments can mimic dementia

Vitamin deficiencies

Specialists will want to know about the patients personal and family medical history. A close relative or relatives having had Alzheimers is a major risk factor.

Recent research suggests that a prevalence among even members of your extended family can increase your dementia risk. Doctors also will conduct physical and neurological exams to rule out other treatable causes for dementia symptoms.

Some of the methods that doctors use to diagnose dementia:

Cognitive and neuropsychological tests assess language and math skills, memory, problem-solving and other types of mental functioning.

Lab tests of blood and other fluids, including checking levels of various chemicals, hormones and vitamins, can help rule out nondementia causes for the symptoms.

Brain scans such as CT, MRI or PET imaging can spot changes in brain structure and function. These tests also can identify strokes, tumors and other problems that can cause dementia.

More on Dementia

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What Is The Burden Of Alzheimers Disease In The United States

• Alzheimers disease is one of the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States.2
• The 6th leading cause of death among US adults.
• The 5th leading cause of death among adults aged 65 years or older.3

In 2020, an estimated 5.8 million Americans aged 65 years or older had Alzheimers disease.1 This number is projected to nearly triple to 14 million people by 2060.1

In 2010, the costs of treating Alzheimers disease were projected to fall between $159 and $215 billion.4 By 2040, these costs are projected to jump to between $379 and more than $500 billion annually.4

Death rates for Alzheimers disease are increasing, unlike heart disease and cancer death rates that are on the decline.5 Dementia, including Alzheimers disease, has been shown to be under-reported in death certificates and therefore the proportion of older people who die from Alzheimers may be considerably higher.6

What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Dementia

Signs and symptoms of dementia result when once-healthy neurons, or nerve cells, in the brain stop working, lose connections with other brain cells, and die. While everyone loses some neurons as they age, people with dementia experience far greater loss.

The symptoms of dementia can vary and may include:

• Experiencing memory loss, poor judgment, and confusion
• Difficulty speaking, understanding and expressing thoughts, or reading and writing
• Wandering and getting lost in a familiar neighborhood
• Trouble handling money responsibly and paying bills
• Repeating questions
• Not caring about other peoples feelings
• Losing balance and problems with movement

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities can also develop dementia as they age, and recognizing their symptoms can be particularly difficult. Its important to consider a persons current abilities and to monitor for changes over time that could signal dementia.

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Who Gets Alzheimers Disease

Anyone can develop Alzheimers disease, but it is more common in older age.

Genetics, lifestyle and health factors are associated with an increased risk of developing dementia.

In a few cases, Alzheimers disease is inherited, caused by a genetic mutation. This is called familial Alzheimers disease, with symptoms occurring at a relatively young age. This is usually when someone is in their 50s, but sometimes younger.

What Are The Symptoms Of Dementia

Early symptoms of dementia include:

• Forgetting recent events or information.
• Repeating comments or questions over a very short period.
• Misplacing commonly used items or placing them in unusual spots.
• Not knowing the season, year or month.
• Having difficulty coming up with the right words.
• Experiencing a change in mood, behavior or interests.

Signs that dementia is getting worse include:

• Your ability to remember and make decisions further declines.
• Talking and finding the right words becomes more difficult.
• Daily complex tasks, such as brushing your teeth, making a cup of coffee, working a TV remote, cooking and paying bills become more challenging.
• Lessening of rational thinking and behavior and your ability to problem-solve.
• Sleeping pattern changes.
• Increases or worsening of anxiety, frustration, confusion, agitation, suspiciousness, sadness and/or depression.
• Needing more help with activities of daily living, such as grooming, toileting, bathing and eating.
• Experiencing hallucinations .

These symptoms are general symptoms of dementia. Each person diagnosed with dementia has different symptoms, depending on what area of their brain is damaged. Additional symptoms and/or unique symptoms occur with specific types of dementia.

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How Is Alzheimers Disease Treated

Medical management can improve quality of life for individuals living with Alzheimers disease and for their caregivers. There is currently no known cure for Alzheimers disease. Treatment addresses several areas:

• Helping people maintain brain health.
• Managing behavioral symptoms.
• Slowing or delaying symptoms of the disease.

The Effects Of Alzheimers On The Brain

In people with Alzheimers disease, brain cells die and connections between brain cells may break down. One of the hallmark symptoms is abnormal protein deposits in the brain called plaques and tangles.

Plaques are dense clusters of protein that can block communication between neurons. Tangles are proteins that twist together that lead to the death of healthy brain cells.

In advanced Alzheimers, the brain shows significant shrinkage. Changes in the brain may occur a or more before symptoms start.

Its impossible to diagnose Alzheimers with complete accuracy while a person is alive. The diagnosis can only be confirmed when the brain is examined under a microscope during an autopsy. However, specialists can make the correct diagnosis up to 90 percent of the time.

The symptoms of Alzheimers and dementia can overlap, but there can be some differences.

Both conditions can cause:

• behavioral changes
• difficulty speaking, swallowing, or walking in advanced stages of the disease

Some types of dementia will share some of these symptoms, but they include or exclude other symptoms that can help make a differential diagnosis.

Lewy body dementia , for example, has many of the same later symptoms as Alzheimers. However, people with LBD but are more likely to experience initial symptoms such as visual hallucinations, difficulties with balance, and sleep disturbances.

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