Journal of Dementia
Open Access

Alzheimer’s is a neurological disorder which causes the brain cells to die and shrink the brain. Alzheimer’s is mostly caused by dementia which affects the persons thinking ability, social skills, behavior changes and ability to function independently. As the disorder increases the person losses his memory and it becomes hard for him to do his everyday tasks.

The main symptom is memory loss. As the disorder progresses the patient may forget events and conversations. The person may find difficulty in remembering things and organizing thoughts. People close to the patient will notice the changes. The disorder will cause losing reasonable thinking and judgments in everyday situations. The person may make poor decision in situations and his choice of clothes in social gatherings can be inappropriate to the occasion. It may burn the food or forget driving. Though conditions can be treatable but may loss memory. Doctor need to be consulted regarding the memory loss and other symptoms. Thorough diagnosis and treatment may reduce the memory loss and improve the thinking abilities.

If the symptoms appear do take the help of family members or friends and consult a doctor. Though Alzheimer’s is mostly seen in old age. There is evidence that people in 40’s and early 50’s are also affected. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, early onset Alzheimer’s disease affects around 200000 U. S. Some symptoms are seen in early 40’s and 50’s. Doctors do not know why young people are showing the symptoms. It can be genetically, some rare genetics can also because Alzheimer’s which is called familial Alzheimer’s disease.

The important factors in the diagnosis process include being able to explain the symptoms to the doctor and family member prospective about how it is showing its impact in daily activities. The diagnosis also depends on the tests the doctor conducting regarding the memory loss and thinking abilities. Laboratory and imaging tests help doctor identify the disease causing dementia symptom. Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative condition, the buildup of plaques and tangles in the brain results in the memory loss and cognitive decline.

There is no treatment currently, but few drugs and treatment could reduce the symptoms like memory loss, behavior changes and increase the quality of life. Alzheimer’s can be completely known only after the death, microscopic examination reveals the plaques and tangles. Your doctor may give mental status test to access memory and thinking skills. Forms of neuropsychological testing may provide more details comparison of the people of same age and educational background. These tests may help to know the starting of the disorder and can be used to know the progression of the disorder in the future. Researchers are working to find tests to know the changes in the brain.

The tests may include blood test, may increase the accuracy of diagnoses and enable early diagnosis before the onset of the disease. A test is available in the market certified in the U. S by the centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Genetic testing is usually not recommended for a routine Alzheimer’s evaluation. As people may have an early onset of Alzheimer disease. If wanted to be tested by Genetic counselor it could be done before taking the other tests as some medicines like cholinesterase help to reduce the symptoms and slow the progression of symptoms. The medicines improve the reasoning ability; alter thought process, confusion and judgment problems.

Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative condition, caused by plaques and tangles in the brain. For now there is no medicine or complete cure of Alzheimer’s. Researchers are trying to find the medicine for the disorder. For now drugs and treatment can help slow the procession of the symptoms and improve the quality of life.