alzheimer's disease how does it start
Alzheimer's disease (AD), also known as Alzheimer disease, or just Alzheimer's, accounts for 60% to 70% of cases of dementia. It is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and gets worse over time. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events (short-term memory loss). As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems with language, disorientation (including easily getting lost), mood swings, loss of motivation, not managing self care, and behavioural issues. Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. For John MacInnes, the beginnings of Alzheimer’s disease were startling. The retired executive and former pastor in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., first realized something was wrong as he was delivering a PowerPoint presentation to a community group. “Then in mid-sentence, I had problems,” he says. Various inflammatory processes and cytokines may also have a role in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease. Inflammation is a general marker of tissue damage in any disease, and may be either secondary to tissue damage in AD or a marker of an immunological response. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s slowly worsen over time, and the disease is ultimately fatal. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, which is defined as a loss of cognitive functioning and behavioral abilities that interferes with daily life. Other forms of dementia include vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, and frontotemporal dementia. When the disease begins before the age of 65, it is known as early-onset or younger-onset Alzheimer’s. Right now, Alzheimer’s disease has no known cure. Current medications only help to lessen symptoms of the disease, providing temporary and partial relief but having no real effect on cognitive decline. Each of these diseases has its own set of specific symptoms. Risk for Alzheimer’s increases greatly with age. After reaching 65, one’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s doubles roughly every five years, reaching almost fifty percent by age 85. Other conditions that may cause memory loss or dementia include: 1  medication side effects. 2  chronic alcoholism. 3  tumors or infections in the brain. 4  blood clots in the brain. 5  vitamin B12 deficiency. 6  some thyroid, kidney, or liver disorders. In most people with Alzheimer’s, symptoms first appear in their mid-60s. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia among older adults. The disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. This form of the disease is known as early onset familial Alzheimer's disease. Most of autosomal dominant familial AD can be attributed to mutations in one of three genes: those encoding amyloid precursor protein (APP) and presenilins 1 and 2.
It starts with early symptom like difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems with language, disorientation, mood swings, loss of motivation, not managing self care and behavioural issues.