Alzheimer's Disease: Simple Memory Loss Or Serious Illness?
Description
This article is from the Health Articles series.
Alzheimer's Disease: Simple Memory Loss Or Serious Illness?
Know the difference
Stressed out by overly demanding schedules, we Americans often feel that our memories are slipping as we misplace car keys, stumble over names, and overlook appointments. Annoying, yes. But these kinds of small memory missteps are no signal of major illness, even if they occur a bit more often as we age.
But you should be concerned if someone you love begins displaying signs of dementia-a gradual, progressive decline in cognitive functions such as the ability to remember, use numbers and words properly, solve problems, and exercise sound judgement.
While some types of dementia-such as those caused by nutritional deficiencies, depression, and drug side effects-are reversible, those caused by illness are not. The most common illness-based cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease, which currently steals the memories and thinking abilities of four million Americans.
Alzheimer's, which affects some 10 percent of those who are 65 years old and nearly 50 percent of those ages 85 and older, moves forward in irreversible steps. Symptoms such as loss of memory, poor judgement, disorientation, and personality and behavioral problems increase as the disease progresses. Eventually, sufferers are completely unable to care for themselves.
Scientists are unsure of the cause, but believe that several things occur in those with the disease: abnormal changes in brain structure, the death of nerve cells, and a drastic reduction of chemicals needed for nerve cell communication.
How do you know if a loved one has Alzheimer's? A detailed medical history, physical exam, and neurological tests can diagnose it with 80 to 90 percent accuracy. A test called the 7 Minute Screen, where patients perform a series of tasks, including identifying the day, month, and year, may pinpoint early signs of the disease with more than 90 percent accuracy.
Treatments: Now & Future
Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer's, but two treatments are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to temporarily improve cognition in people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's.
Both are known as cholinesterase inhibitors and help maintain levels of the "messenger" chemical acetylcholine-found in insufficient supplies in the brains of those with Alzheimer's disease. Keeping levels of acetylcholine up improves memory and communication between nerve cells. The first such drug, tacrine (Cognex), slows memory loss somewhat for 25 percent to 35 percent of those mildly to moderately ill.
The drug must be taken four times a day, and there are significant side effects for some, such as an increase in certain liver enzymes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and indigestion.
The second-generation cholinesterase inhibitor, donepezil hydrochloride (Aricept), is also used for mild to moderate Alzheimer's cases. The drug is taken once daily and has shown fewer side effects. Clinical trials have found that the most frequent side effects-including diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, insommia, and fatigue-are generally mild and decline with continued use.
Antipsychotic, antidepression, and anti-anxiety medications are sometimes used to treat behavioral symptoms. And researchers are studying a host of possible future treatments, including other cholinesterase inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, and selegiline, which is normally used for Parkinson's disease. There's also some indication that pain relievers such as ibuprofen may help protect against the disease by decreasing brain inflammation and that estrogen- replacement therapy for women may play a preventive role. Some researchers are also looking at the value of vitamin E and the herb ginkgo biloba.
Ten Warning Signs
- 1. Forgetting things more often; not remembering them later.
2. Difficulty with familiar tasks, like serving a meal.
3. Language problems: forgetting simple words and substituting inappropriate words.
4. Disorientation of time and place: Sufferers may not know where they are, how they got there, or how to get back home.
5. Poor or decreased judgment.
6. Problems with abstract thinking tasks, like balancing a checkbook.
7. Misplacing belongings and putting them in strange places.
8. Changes in mood or behavior, such as rapid mood swings for no apparent reason.
9. Drastic personality changes.
10. Loss of initiative. Sufferers may become very passive.
For more information, call the Alzheimer's Association at 1-800-272-3900 or the Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center at 1-800-438-4380.
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