What is Alzheimer’s disease?

In 1906 when a woman died due to a mental illness where she was diagnosed as behaving in an unusual manner, had a very unpredictable behaviour. She had language problems and used to forget things, people found it very unusual and used to say that she has gone crazy. After her death a doctor named Alois Alzheimer after examining her brain tissues noticed abnormal clumps in her brain which are now called amyloid plaques. He also found tangled bundles of fibre that are now known as neuro fibrillary. This way he discovered this new disease which is named after him and is called Alzheimer’s.

Later it was further discovered that another feature is the loss of connection between nerve cells in the brain, which are called neurons. Neurons of the brain transmit messages between different parts of the brain to the body including the muscles and the organs of the body creating variations of this disease.

Alzheimer’s is basically a disease which is irreversible and progressive brain disorder which can easily and slowly destroy memory and thinking  skills, eventually leading to losing the ability to carry out even the simplest of tasks.

What is the main cause of Alzheimer’s?

When the neurons begin to die initially in the hippocampus, the part of the brain essential in forming memories, additional part of the brain is affected and by the final stage of Alzheimer’s, damage is widespread leaving the brain tissues significantly ‘shrunken’. The main cause of Alzheimer’s depends upon a combination of genetic, life style and environmental factors. These three factors are the main reasons that can cause Alzheimer’s when combined together and can affect the brain over the time.

Another factor that counts as a cause is the abnormal build-up of protein in and around the brain cells.

Stress is another cause which can build up Alzheimer’s as it can cause inflammation in the brain, making it more susceptible to health problems such as dementia which can lead to Alzheimer’s or other related form of diseases.

When do the main symptoms of Alzheimer’s appear?

In most of the cases, the very initial symptoms appear during the age of sixties and in most rare cases it occurs early between a person’s thirties and mid-sixties but this is very rare as the common age of Alzheimer’s is around sixties. It is estimated that there are more than 44 million people around that world who are living with Alzheimer’s at the moment. It is observed that mostly the middle stage Alzheimer’s is the most long lasted stage and it can last for many years and as the disease progresses the patient of Alzheimer’s will require a greater level of care.

What should we do to protect Alzheimer’s patients from possible harm?

A person with severe Alzheimer’s disease has a high chance of dying from pneumonia. Making pneumonia the most common cause of death in people with Alzheimer’s. It occurs because of the loss of ability to swallow, since when a person has high stage of Alzheimer’s his brain stops following the right commands and the food and drinks can enter lungs and can cause infection. Therefore, such people require special care for Alzheimer’s disease Yardley at the best place possible, usually a rehabilitation centre with experts and proper medical and professional treatment options. The medical practitioners will provide your patient with best care every possible facility that a patient suffering from Alzheimer’s can be in need of.