What is Alzheimer's Disease? What are the symptoms? Is there a treatment method?

Alzheimer's Disease is the most common cause of dementia and is an irreversible progressive disease. Dementia is a word that describes the loss of mental functions. Over time, patients' memory capacities decrease and their ability to think logically, learn and communicate deteriorates. It may be accompanied by personality changes and other psychological problems. Cells, which are the basic building blocks of the brain called neurons, especially the main structures related to memory, are more affected and cause symptoms to occur.

Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's Disease is the most common cause of dementia and is an irreversible progressive disease. Dementia is a word that describes the loss of mental functions. Over time, patients' memory capacities decrease and their ability to think logically, learn and communicate deteriorates. It may be accompanied by personality changes and other psychological problems. Cells, which are the basic building blocks of the brain called neurons, especially the main structures related to memory, are more affected and cause symptoms to occur.

The most important risk factor for the disease is age and aging is an inevitable condition. Today, people aged 65 and over constitute the fastest growing age group all over the world. The incidence of Alzheimer's disease increases with age (8 out of 100 people over the age of 65 have Alzheimer's disease). If natural, social or economic disasters are not encountered in the twenty-first century, the incidence of the disease will increase in our country as well as all over the world. It is thought that there are around 300,000 Alzheimer's patients in Turkey today

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Why does the disease occur?
The cause of Alzheimer's disease has not yet been fully elucidated. But it is known to happen because brain cells die earlier than programmed. With age, every person has brain cell death, but in Alzheimer's disease, this process happens very quickly and early. With cell death, the brain begins to shrink from normal. Relationships between cells deteriorate over time. As a result of these, disorders in the behavior of the person appear over time. This table progresses irreversibly. Alzheimer's disease is not a contagious disease, it is not a cancer disease. Although very rare (about 5 out of 100 patients), there are also genetically transmitted forms, but they are rare.

Although the cause of the disease is not known exactly, some risky conditions have been defined today. Some factors cannot be changed, some are modifiable risk factors.

Unchangeable risk factors;

Age
Gender
family history
APOE4 carrier
Modifiable risk factors;

Psychological disorders such as depression in the past
Vascular diseases (heart attack, high blood pressure, high cholesterol...) modifiable factors
Serious head injuries in the past
low education level
psychological disorders
The disease is progressive after onset. The average duration is 8 years. The progression of the disease varies from person to person. While it progresses very slowly in some patients, it progresses somewhat faster in some patients.

According to the course of the disease, it can be divided into 3 stages as early, intermediate and advanced stages.

Results

The essential feature of the disease is forgetfulness. Any forgetfulness in old age deserves consideration. The important thing is to distinguish between natural old age forgetfulness and forgetfulness that is a symptom of disease. This distinction is made by combining the patient's examination, the information given by the patient's relatives, the neuropsychological evaluation evaluating brain functions, and, if necessary, other auxiliary tests (MR, CT, blood tests....). For this reason, neurological examination and evaluations of patients should be performed by a neurologist and regular follow-up of patients should be performed.

In Alzheimer's disease, there is a mild forgetfulness at the beginning. In the initial period, patients have complaints of not being able to do what they will buy from the grocery store or do their routine in daily life, forgetting their belongings. It cannot do some calculations, there may be skepticism. A person who did not make a shopping list in the past may start to keep a list or take various notes to avoid this situation. Over time, the forgetfulness gradually increases and the patient begins to record new events at all. He may forget the names of his relatives and grandchildren. He doesn't remember where he puts things. Over time, patients may become withdrawn, reluctant, and unmotivated in a way they weren't before. May abandon hobbies, Complex tool use becomes difficult. There may be difficulties in the money account. Withdrawing money from the ATM can become a very difficult thing for patients. Along with these, there may be some psychiatric symptoms. Patients can talk about things that are not there, say that they see or hear them. On the other hand, the patient easily remembers and tells about his past, especially his youth. If an elderly person with amnesia cannot find the ways he knows well, can no longer go to the places he used to wander, gets lost because he cannot find his way home, or comes home late because of looking for the way home, or clutters the rooms in the house, these may be findings related to Alzheimer's disease.

Since the disease may initially start with an insidious forgetfulness, the forgetfulness observed in old age should NOT be seen as normal. The mental problems and diseases (such as depression, anxiety, adjustment disorder) brought about by the modern lifestyle often come under the forgetfulness seen in young people. Some vitamin deficiencies, especially vitamin B12 and folate deficiency and thyroid hormone disorders may also cause forgetfulness and may need to be investigated. Today, especially in working people, complaints of forgetfulness are common.