DEFINITION Alzheimer's is a common cause for cases of dementia - the loss of intellectual and social abilities severe enough to affect daily activities. In Alzheimer's disease, the health of brain tissue has decreased, leading to decreased memory and mental abilities.
Alzheimer's is not part of the normal aging process, but the risk increases with age. Five percent of people aged between 65-74 have Alzheimer's disease, and nearly half of people aged over 85 years of age have Alzheimer's disease.
Although the disease is no cure, treatment can improve the quality of life for people who have Alzheimer's disease. Those who have Alzheimer need support and affection from friends and family to cope.
SYMPTOMS
Alzheimer's disease may begin with a little memory loss and confusion, but will eventually lead to mental impairment which is irreversible and destroy a person's ability to remember, think, learn, and imagination.
Memory loss
Everyone has lapses in memory. It is normal when you forget where you put your car keys or forgotten the name of the person that you rarely see. But the memory problems associated with long-standing and poorly Alzhaimer. People with Alzhaimer possible:
- Repeating what has been done
- Often forget the words and promises that it does
- Often misplaced something, often put things in unusual places
- In the end, forget the names of family members and objects used in daily
People with Alzheimer's have trouble thinking about something, especially in the form of numbers.
Difficulty in finding the right words
Difficult for people with Alzhaimer to find the right words to convey their thoughts, or when they were in talks. Will ultimately affect their ability to read and write.
Disorientation
People with Alzheimer's often lose the ability to remember the time and date, and will find themselves lost in the actual environment familiar to them.
Lost the ability to assess
Resolve everyday problems is difficult and becomes increasingly difficult until the end is something that is felt to be possible for those who have Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's has characteristics very difficult to do something that requires planning, decision making and judgment.
Difficult to perform familiar tasks
Difficult in performing routine tasks that require sustained steps in the process of completion, such as cooking. In the end, people with Alzheimer's may forget how to do something even the most basic.
Changes in personality
People with Alzheimer's show:
• Changes in mood
• Missing the trust of others
• Increased stubbornness
• Depression
• Restlessness
• Aggressive
Causes & Risk Factors
Cause
None of the factors that appear to be the cause of Alzheimer's. Scientists believe that this disease is a combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors. Alzheimer's damage and kill brain cells.
Two types of damage to brain cells (neurons) which is common in people with Alzheimer's:
- Plaques / plaque. Clumps of protein called beta-amyloid affects the communication between brain cells. Although there are no known cases of Alzheimer's disease that causes death, the fact remains that the process of abnormal beta-amyloid protein is likely to be the cause.
- Tangles / tangles. Support structures in the brain cells depends on the normal function of a protein called tau. In people with Alzheimer's, threads of tau protein changes that cause them to become insane. Many scientists believe that this is the damage to neurons and can cause death for patients with Alzheimer's.
Age
Patients Alzhaimer usually affects people over the age of 65 years, but can also attack people under the age of 40. At least 5 percent of people aged between 65 and 74 have Alzheimer's. In people aged 85 and above had risen to 50 percent.
Descent
Alzheimer's risk appearing a bit higher if the relationship between first-degree relatives - parents and siblings - have Alzheimer's.
Gender
Women are more susceptible than men, this is because women generally live longer than men.
Mild cognitive impairment
People who have mild cognitive impairment have memory problems worse than what might be expected from the age and has not been bad enough to classify as dementia. Many of those who are in this condition continues to have Alzheimer's disease.
Lifestyle
Same factors that make you be on the same risk of heart disease also increases the likelihood you will develop Alzheimer's disease. Examples are:
• Pressure
• High blood pressure
• High Cholesterol
• Less in controlling blood sugar
Keeping your body to stay fit is important to you - you should be able to train the mind properly. Several studies have shown that active in training the mind and mental health throughout your life, especially in the elderly will reduce the risk of Alzheimer disease.
Level of education
The study found an association between low education and Alzheimer's risk. But the precise underlying reasons are unknown. Some scientists theorize, the more often you will use more brain synapses you create a lot of reserves which will be available in the old days. It would be difficult to find Alzheimer brain in people who train regularly, or those with higher education levels.
Prevention
Currently, there is no evidence that shows how to prevent Alzheimer's disease. Experiment to find a vaccine that can fight Alzheimer's dropped a few years ago because some people who received the vaccine experienced inflammation of the brain.
However, you can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's by reducing the risk of heart disease. Many factors increase the risk of heart disease may also increase the risk of dementia. The main factor that emerges is blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Stay active - physically, mentally and socially - also can reduce the risk of getting Alzheimer's.