Addressing Stages of Alzheimer’s, Memory loss this World Alzheimer’s Day - Gigadocs - Online Appointment with Best Doctors

Alzheimer’s disease strikes someone every 65 seconds.

As we age, our brains, like the rest of our bodies, undergo different phases. Most of us eventually experience some mental sluggishness and have problems recalling historical events like important dates of the year. Memory loss and disorientation that affect our minds work could be the initial signs that our brains are weaning out, potentially triggering Alzheimer’s disease, a prominent kind of dementia that causes gradual memory and cognitive loss.

According to the World Health Organization, over 50 million people are living with dementia, with roughly 10 million new cases added each year. It takes around 20 years for an Alzheimer’s patient to experience symptoms, as per Alzheimer’s Disease International, a consortium of more than 80 Alzheimer’s groups around the world. Most of the people are completely clueless that they have this disease. Alzheimer’s disease is sometimes considered a family disease because the persistent hardship of losing a loved one affects everyone among family and friends.

Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease

Stages	Alzimers Disease Progression
Mild Alzheimer’s	People suffer from memory loss and other cognitive impairments. Common symptoms include getting lost or wandering. Difficulty experienced in paying bills, handling finances, or even inability to perform daily chores. Most people are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at this stage.
Moderate Alzheimer’s	People’s memory loss and disorientation worsen, and they have trouble identifying relatives and friends. They may feel incapable to learn a new skill, or even perform simple daily self-care tasks like dressing up. People at this stage may also experience hallucinations, illusions, and anxiety attacks.
Advanced Alzheimer’s	People with severe Alzheimer’s disease are often unable to converse and need caregivers to take care of them. In the advanced stage, plaques and tangles gradually spread throughout the brain, causing significant shrinkage of brain tissue. As the brain closes down slowly the individual may spend most or all of their time in bed rest at the end of life.

What happens in Alzheimer’s?

Alzheimer’s disease causes complicated brain alterations, which scientists are still trying to understand. Brain changes can start a decade or more before symptoms develop. Toxic alterations occur in the brain including aberrant protein buildups that form plaques and tangles. Brain neurons that were once healthy stop working to eventually lose connections with other neurons and end up dying. This deterioration begins to start in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, which are essential brain components for memory formation. Additional areas of the brain are damaged and start to deteriorate as more neurons die. Damage is severe, and by the last stage, the brain tissues shrink considerably.

Alzheimer’s Symptoms

The leading factor contributing to Alzheimer’s progress is advancing age. Below we have listed some of the common signs of an early-stage Alzheimer’s-

Having trouble recalling events.
Diminishing thinking capabilities.
Challenging to make decisions.
Misplacing objects.
Difficulty in understanding and finding appropriate words to express one’s thoughts.
Cognitive impairment.
Slurring while speaking and speech problems.

World Alzheimer’s Day :
Every year on September 21st, Alzheimer’s organizations all around the world observe World Alzheimer’s day and focus their efforts on raising awareness about Alzheimer’s and dementia. Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, which is a collection of illnesses that impair cognitive health.

Prevention of Alzheimer’s

Though Alzheimer’s disease is more common in adults over 60, it can also occur in people aged 30 to 60. However, there is no permanent treatment for Alzheimer’s, although prescription medications and therapies can help patients postpone the onset and enhance their quality of life. Needless to add, early detection is crucial in the case of Alzheimer’s.

Some lifestyle practices may not be directly responsible for Alzheimer’s disease, but they can certainly exacerbate the symptoms of the disease. Here are some suggestions to help a person delay the development of the disease:

Quitting smoking and excessive alcohol intake.
Including antioxidants, fresh fruits, and veggies, and getting enough sleep.
Walking for at least 30 minutes daily.
Not ignoring signs of stress, depression, and other mental health disorders.
Following a good outlook on life and a healthy lifestyle.
Keeping hypertension, diabetes under control, and interacting with the community to keep one’s brain engaged.

Alzheimer’s treatment with Gigadocs

Doctors employ several procedures to identify whether a person has Alzheimer’s disease. They may talk to the patient’s family members or friends about questions regarding overall health, prescription and over-the-counter drug use, previous medical problems, capacity to carry out daily tasks, changes in behavior, and personality to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.

Additionally, neurologists may follow the following medical procedures-

Conduct regular medical testing such as blood and urine tests.
Test memory, problem-solving skills, attentiveness, counting, and linguistic skills.
Carry out brain scans, such as CT scans and MRIs, to confirm the diagnosis or rule out other probable symptoms.
These tests may be repeated to provide doctors with information on how a person’s memory and other cognitive abilities develop over time.

Those experiencing memory or thinking problems should consult neurologists to determine whether their symptoms are caused by Alzheimer’s disease or something else, such as a stroke, tumor, Parkinson’s disease, sleep disruption, drug interactions, an infection, or another type of dementia.

Together we can address Alzheimer’s with timely medical intervention. Gigadocs helps you book a neurologist, geriatric psychiatrist, neuropsychologist on the Gigadocs app available on the app store and play store. Gigadocs offers digital prescriptions, telemedicine, appointment reminders, and points to collect to redeem for exciting rewards and offers on expert medical consultations.

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