The Basics of Alzheimer's

Writer: Atessa Editor: Dhriti

Alzheimer’s disease is impacting over 6 million Americans alone. “Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that destroys brain cells, causing thinking ability and memory to deteriorate over time”, (Alzheimer’s Society) There is currently no known cure for the disease, and anyone can have it from a younger age without even knowing it because symptoms take a while to set in. Even though there is no cure yet, there are multiple medications available to help with symptoms and scientists are working hard to find a cure.

Symptoms:

There’s a plethora of symptoms that come along with this disease, so I will list and explain a few of them here. To start off, you may have trouble remembering the little things. It’s normal for everyone to forget they have a meeting or left their bag at home, but it becomes a more noticeable symptom when this occurs often, and you have a harder time recalling recently learned information. It may also become difficult to perform habitual, everyday tasks such as preparing a meal or playing a game. Impaired judgement can be another symptom like if you wore heavy clothing on a hot day or did something that does not seem like yourself to the people who know you. Some other common symptoms that many people with Alzheimer’s experience are misplacing things, abnormal and severe changes in mood and behavior, changes in personality, and loss of interest in things that you are usually passionate about. Something important to remember is that these symptoms can be linked to Alzheimer’s, but they might be related to other types of dementia as well and there are many other symptoms that people with Alzheimer’s face.

Progression:

In the first stage of Alzheimer’s, your symptoms will be almost invisible. You’ll still understand everything around you, but you might need a little bit of help. After that, your symptoms will become clearer. You will need more assistance in completing everyday tasks that you might have previously been capable of completing by yourself. Nearing the end of this disease, you will be unable to verbally communicate, and you will require a helping hand to keep up a good quality of life. In the final stage of Alzheimer’s, you will require 24-hour care. At this point, we are not focused on the quality of life, but the quality of the end of your life. This means that we want to make sure that you are still comfortable in the last parts of your life.

Treatments:

Currently, there is no known cure for Alzheimer’s, but there are still treatments out there that can help people with Alzheimer’s. There are several drugs approved by the FDA to aid in managing one’s symptoms. A more recent medication (approved June 7, 2021, by the FDA), aducanumab helps reduce amyloid deposits in the brain. This may help slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s, however it has not yet demonstrated impact on clinical symptoms or results, for example progression of cognitive decline or dementia. Mild to moderate Alzheimer’s can be treated with drugs such as galantamine, rivastigmine, and donepezil. These drugs can help in reducing some cognitive and behavioral symptoms.

Alzheimer’s is a terrible disease that has impacted people all over the world for quite a long time. There’s still so much we don’t know about this disease, but we will learn eventually. However, what we do know is that scientists are working extremely hard to find a cure.

Sources:

Facts and Figures. Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia. (2021). https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures.

The 10 warning signs of dementia. Alzheimer Society of Canada. (2021). https://alzheimer.ca/en/about-dementia/do-i-have-dementia/10-warning-signs-dementia?gclid=Cj0KCQjwraqHBhDsARIsAKuGZeENKbuMzm-Z0Qt_3Y84WjiBOEfyeiHfDLWTaTR0NvDbKeNcDTjqAaEaAmoKEALw_wcB.

What is Alzheimer's disease? Alzheimer Society of Canada. (2021). https://alzheimer.ca/en/about-dementia/what-alzheimers-disease?gclid=Cj0KCQjw5uWGBhCTARIsAL70sLLk5sd72rHGeBKo9KfV0KQxRsfPMxhlbqqxYt4B7901iSKOeIWWKn8aAtWcEALw_wcB#The_symptoms_of_Alzheimer's_disease_can_be_treated,_but_not_cured...yet.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2021). How Is Alzheimer's Disease Treated? National Institute on Aging. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/how-alzheimers-disease-treated.