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Dementia is a broad category of diseases involving the brain that leads to forgetfulness and a reduction in the ability to think and reason. Globally, about 46 million people suffer from dementia. Among them, Alzheimer's disease accounts for about 50 to 70% of cases.
AD is named after German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer, who noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who died of unusual symptoms of forgetfulness and behavioral abnormalities. This is a neurodegenerative and progressive disease after its onset.
It usually affects the elderly after the age of 65, with a majority of people over 85 years old. It is characterized by a gradual loss of memory that seriously affects their activities of daily living.
The first symptoms include
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Memory deficiency, especially for recent events
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Regularly misplacing phone, money, important things, etc.
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Confusion with the parents' names
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Often get lost in a familiar environment
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Difficulty of calculation
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Difficulty finding the right words
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Unable to manage finances
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Fragmented sleep and insomnia
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Changes in olfactory functions
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Depreciation of judgment
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Repeat things
The first signs may persist for many years before the patient comes for a consultation. It's an insidiously progressive disease, but the pace of progression varies from person to person. Symptoms that appear in later stages include
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Abnormal behavior, including aggression, agitation, irritability and confusion
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Requiring considerable help in everyday tasks, such as dressing and eating
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Withdraw from social activities
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Unable to control the movements of the intestine and bladder
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Can not communicate
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seizures
Diagnostic
Currently, there is no defined investigative modality to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, but with accurate and complete medical history, it can be diagnosed by a neurologist with up to 90% accuracy. The progression of the disease can be quantified using various scales of dementia available, such as the mini-mental status examination, the cognitive assessment of Montreal and the scale of dementia. Evaluation of clinical dementia.
Brain imaging, preferably MRI, is needed to evaluate Alzheimer's disease and to rule out other structural causes of dementia. In AD, there is considerable cortical atrophy of the medial temporal lobe, which is its characteristic finding. Functional neuroimaging methods such as FDG-PET and PET may be useful in delineating the disease.
Although no curative or disease modifying drugs are currently available, symptomatic treatment is given to patients. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, which includes an increase in physical activity and a balanced diet, can delay the progression of the disease. Steps are also being taken to modify vascular risk factors in patients and to control hypertension and diabetes. They also receive cognitive training.
Rima Khanna, Consultant, Department of Neurology, Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh.
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