Alzheimer's Explained: What You Need to Know

Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that affects memory and cognitive abilities. It is the main cause of dementia – brain disorders causing loss of intellectual and social skills. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s so early diagnosis and treatment strategy are crucial.

There are 5 stages of development of Alzheimer’s disease. In preclinical stage, you and people around you may notice that something is a bit off with mental functionality. The preclinical stage can last for years, even decades. Nowadays there are ways Alzheimer’s to be early diagnosed by image technologies. You can also make a genetic test to see if you are in risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease. In the second stage, a mild cognitive impairment stage affects people with mild changes in memory and cognitive skills. Changes caused in that stage don’t disrupt one’s work or relationships but memory loss in everyday life and common tasks. Note that some of the cases of mild cognitive impairment are not Alzheimer’s disease. Often Alzheimer’s is diagnosed in the mild dementia stage because in this stage the memory and cognitive skills become obvious. The stage is characterized by significant memory loss, difficulties in organizing task and orientating in time and space. People with Alzheimer’s disease in the mild dementia stage experience changes in temper and personality.

In the stage of moderate dementia, the symptoms of the previous stage develops memory loss, changes in personality, and inability to complete everyday tasks. Affected people often become more energetic and can have aggressive outbursts. In the late stage of severe dementia symptoms deepen and loss of physical abilities occurs. The affected person may experience difficulties performing simple physical tasks such as walking and sitting. As stated before, there are not any known means of overall recovery from Alzheimer’s. But there are some strongly supported suggestions that healthy habits can increase your chances to avoid this disease. Quitting smoking, having a balanced diet, being physically active and practicing mental tasks can slower the development of Alzheimer’s.