The Comprehensive Guide to Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are two terms that are often used interchangeably by people, since there’s a common misconception that they both refer to the same condition. However, Alzheimer’s disease is actually just one of the many paths that can lead to dementia.
This is because dementia is merely an umbrella term for a group of symptoms that affect a sufferer’s thought processes and memory. When a person is diagnosed with dementia, they are simply being told that they are suffering from a particular set of symptoms. The next step would then be to work out exactly what causes these symptoms to appear in the first place.
The most common reason for the onset of dementia is, in fact, Alzheimer’s disease, since it has been estimated to be responsible for as many as 70% of dementia cases. However, there are many other causes of dementia, including Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.
Another key difference is that, in certain cases, dementia can be a temporary and reversible condition, while Alzheimer’s disease has been found to be a permanent condition, which only ends up getting worse, as time goes by.

The 3 Main Types of Alzheimer’s Disease

Nearly everyone who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease will eventually begin to experience the same symptoms, including confusion,memory loss trouble with once-familiar tasks, and difficulty in making decisions. However, there are 3 main types of Alzheimer’s disease, and their differences lie in the way that they are contracted:
1. Late-Onset Alzheimer’s
By far the most common form of the disease, at around 95% of all cases, Late-Onset Alzheimer’s is the kind that occurs in people over the age of 65. It may or may not be genetically-linked, since researchers have yet to find a particular gene that causes it, despite their suspicions.
2. Early-Onset Alzheimer’s
This kind of Alzheimer’s is a lot less common, and only accounts for around 5% of all cases. It occurs in people who are under the age of 65, typically in their 40s or 50s, and people who suffer from Down syndrome  have a higher risk of getting it. Scientists have found that early-onset Alzheimer’s has an even greater effect on the brain than its late-onset counterpart, and have linked its formation to a DNA defect contained within chromosome 14. A muscle twitch known as myoclonus is also more common for sufferers of early-onset Alzheimer’s.
3. Familial Alzheimer's Disease (FAD)
This is a rare form of Alzheimer’s that is 100% genetic, which accounts for less than 1% of all Alzheimer’s cases. In affected families, members of at least two generations have typically had this kind of Alzheimer’s, and many cases of early-onset Alzheimer’s are actually linked to FAD.

The Signs & Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a condition that gradually gets worse over time, and that’s why its symptoms are often split into 3 sections: early, middle, and severe stages.
In the early stages of Alzheimer's a person may:
• Find it hard to remember things
• Ask the same questions repeatedly
• Get lost in familiar places
• Lose things or place them in unusual places
• Have trouble handling money and paying bills
• Take longer than they normally would to finish daily tasks
Once Alzheimer's has progressed to the middle stages, the symptoms, particularly memory loss and confusion, grow worse. Other symptoms include:
• Difficulty learning new things and coping with new situations
• Trouble carrying out tasks that involve many steps, such as getting dressed
• Impulsive behavior
• Forgetting the names of common things
• Hallucinations, delusions or paranoia
• Problems recognizing family and friends
• Wandering away from home
 
Once Alzheimer's has progressed to the more severe stages, symptoms include:
• Total lack of communication
• Spending a lot more time asleep
• Weight loss
• Trouble swallowing
• Incontinence
• Complete dependence

The Science Behind Alzheimer’s Disease

Due to the highly complex nature of Alzheimer’s disease, scientists around the world are still not completely sure what causes it, and how it works. However, many years of research have led us to understand a number of key points. Specifically, we know that Alzheimer’s causes certain brain cells to lose their functions and die, and this is what causes memory loss. A process called atrophy (shrinking of the brain) also takes place, which causes a harmful loss of brain volume.
This loss of brain function is believed to be due to the interactions of two types of proteins, known as amyloid and tau, which have been found to block communication between brain neurons. Amyloid has been observed accumulating into plaque-like clusters, while tau has a tendency to build up inside dying cells in what researchers call ‘neurofibrillary tangles’.
Other researchers also believe that chronic inflammation in the brain may also play a role in the onset and development of Alzheimer’s. Inflammation often occurs as a part of the human body’s defense system, and it aids white blood cells in destroying toxins and waste products. However, scientists have found that certain waste products, such as amyloid plaque and tau tangles, are not being eliminated by Alzheimer’s patients' brains, causing their brain cells to remain permanently inflamed, which ultimately leads to the death of many more brain cells each day.

How to Prevent the Onset of Alzheimer’s

While there’s no proven way to guarantee that you’ll never get Alzheimer’s, there are many lifestyle and dietary changes that you can make, which have been found to decrease or delay your chances of contracting this disease later on in life.
Lifestyle Changes

Maintain a healthy average weight
• Never stop learning new skills and expanding your areas of knowledge
• Maintain a varied circle of friends
• Start taking estrogen supplement after menopause (women only)
• Use the internet frequently to stimulate your brain
• Make sure you get a good night's sleep
• Keep your stress levels in check
• Brush your teeth twice a day
• Take care of your eyes
• Try and be as physically active as possible
• Keep diabetes under tight control Dietary Changes
Eat plenty of antioxidant-rich superfoods,  such as black raspberries, elderberries, raisins, and blueberries.
• Avoid eating bad fats
• Treat yourself to cocoa powder and dark chocolate regularly
• Raise your levels of good cholesterol
• Drink 2 to 4 cups of coffee a day
• Drink more black and green tea
• Eat curry or take curcumin(turmeric) pills
• Add a lot more vinegar to your meals
• Take 500 to 1000mcg of vitamin B12 daily
• Drink a glass of wine each day
• Start following a brain-boosting Mediterranean diet

Drugs to Help Manage the Symptoms

Even though there’s still no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, there are two specific types of medication that can aid in managing the disease’s main symptoms – cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine. Both of these drugs have been approved for use by the FDA to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, and should always be used under a doctor’s supervision.

Cholinesterase inhibitors are usually used to treat the symptoms of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s. They work by boosting the strength of certain nerve cells that the disease typically attacks. While they can’t completely stop or reverse the disease’s destructive process, they can slow it down quite a bit. Common side effects of cholinesterase inhibitors include diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting, all of which can be reduced by taking your medication with food, and by starting low and upping the dose gradually.

The most common types of cholinesterase inhibitors prescribed are:
• Galantamine (Razadyne) for mild to moderate Alzheimer's
• Rivastigmine (Exelon) for mild to moderate Alzheimer's
• Donepezil (Aricept) for all stages of Alzheimer’s

Memantine (Namenda) is usually used to treat the symptoms of severe Alzheimer’s. It works by regulating one of the brain’s most important messenger chemicals – glutamate. Memantine is typically taken in the form of a syrup or pill, and the most common side effects include confusion, agitation, headaches, and dizziness.

If none of the medications above are working on their own, the FDA has also approved the use of donepezil in combination with memantine (Namzaric), which is usually found in capsule form. Common side effects include headaches, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.

Coping Tips For Alzheimer’s Sufferers

Being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease is always devastating news, but as soon as you get over the initial shock, you need to start finding ways to cope, so that you’ll be able to maximize your independence for the foreseeable future. Here are some tips that will help you better handle your day-to-day tasks, and keep on living a meaningful life:

• Create a strong coping strategy by identifying new challenges, prioritizing them, and creating a solution that works best for you.
• Set realistic goals, and only focus on things that you can do today!
• Develop a daily routine that’s easy to follow.
• Never try and multitask!
• Learn to recognize stress triggers.
• Realize that you have more than one shot at fixing most problems.
• Draw inner strength from family, friends, prayer, pets, hobbies, or anything else that you love!
• Try your best to be independent, but don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Coping Tips For Caregivers

It can be sad to see a relative, loved one or friend deteriorate from the effects of Alzheimer’s, but there are quite a few things that you can do to help make their quality of life a lot better, as well as making your job a little easier. Here are a few things you should keep in mind as a caregiver:
• Don’t even think about trying to argue with an Alzheimer’s sufferer – you will get nowhere.
• Ignoring the symptoms won’t make them go away.
• Be aware that too much medication can actually cause further memory loss, so always check with your doctor which ones are really necessary.
• Always listen to what they have to say, even if it makes little sense to you.
• It’s never too late to work on improving their brain health.
• Share your struggles and be open to receiving help.
• Remember to give yourself a break every once in a while.
• Don’t forget to prioritize!
• Remember that 20 minutes for you can feel like a whole day for them.
• Have difficult conversations about medical/legal issues early on, so that you can ensure that you will honor their wishes later on.

The Most Promising Scientific Studies So Far

With every year that passes, members of the scientific community keeps gaining more and more knowledge about how Alzheimer’s disease works, and are constantly searching for new ways to prevent it, slow down its progression, and ultimately to cure it. While they haven’t fully succeeded in finding a complete cure yet, the future looks bright, and below we’ve listed some of the most promising studies that have been carried out so far:
1. How Vitamin E levels affect Alzheimer's
2. The link between bacteria and Alzheimer's disease
3.Scientists successfully manage to reverse Alzheimer's in mice
4.Scientists manage to spot Alzheimer's 15 years in advance
5. Non-invasive ultrasound clears the brain of amyloid plaque.
6. Deep brain stimulation to keep Alzheimer's at bay
7. Blood thinning drugs may prevent dementia 

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