Alzheimer's Disease Symptoms
Slow progressive disease of brain and a degenerative neural disorder, Alzheimer's disease is a commonly occurring kind of dementia that can prove fatal to the sufferer. Described for the first time by a German Neuropathologist named Alios Alzheimer in 1906, the disease affects senior citizens who are well over sixty five years of age. The disease causes loss of memory and declination of cognitive skills. The final stages of the disease make the Alzheimer's patients bedridden and disabled to go on with their everyday life.
The common symptoms of Alzheimer's are manifold and the classic symptom is impairment of memory. Alzheimer's patients forget everyday things that are very easy to remember. Old age is synonymous with forgetting but people affected by this disease dramatically lose their memory power. Personality changes and paranoia are commonly seen in the individuals affected by the disease. The sufferers rarely recognize people around them who are very closer to them and are driven to a state of paranoia. They do not trust anyone and this can manifest in the form of depression, withdrawal, lack of co-operation and mood swings.
Difficulty in speech is another common symptom of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's patients find it difficult to express themselves. The nerve cells and neurotransmitters are damaged as the disease progresses and this results in disability in expressing or speaking. The patients cannot comprehend anything and cannot react to the same. Inability to solve problems, reason, calculate and to decide is found in those affected with the disease. People who are suffering from Alzheimer's encounter difficulty in doing basic math and calculations. Their reasoning capacity is hampered and they find decision making impossible since they cannot think in a cohesive manner. Apart from this, flawed judgment, inability to follow instructions, insensitivity to emotions, restlessness and disruption in motor activities are common symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's disease can be categorized into three stages namely mild, moderate and severe Alzheimer's disease. The symptoms of the mild Alzheimer's are repetitive actions, poor judgment, misplacing things, losing stuff, depression, apathy, mood swings among others. Problems related to understanding, comprehending and expressing in a language are faced by the patients. In mild stage, the affected patients depend heavily on reminders even for simple activities or daily routine.
Moderate Alzheimer's disease is characterized by confused behavior, memory loss, lack of recognition, diminishing capacity of learning, inability to carry out daily tasks, paranoia, hallucinations and impulsive behavior. Other signs are rambling speech, confused state of mind over everything, stress, slowness, rigidity, problems with coordination and mobility and tremors. Patients may need help and assistance for carrying out daily activities.
Severe Alzheimer's is manifested through complete loss of recognition, loss of appetite and weight, skin infections, seizures, long hours of sleep, incontinence, difficulty in communication and swallowing among others. Patients affected by Alzheimer's disease lose their verbal skill in this stage and deal with immobility. In this stage they need the total support and understanding of their family to continue living. The severe Alzheimer's disease is often fatal.