What is Alzheimer's?
Alzheimer's is a degenerative brain disease characterized by the accumulation of beta-amyloid and tau proteins in brain cells, leading to the death of nerve cells and resulting in memory loss, dementia, and the inability to perform daily activities. It affects the part of the brain involved in learning, leading to a loss of the ability to think, learn, and remember.
Alzheimer's disease causes the brain to shrink and eventually kill brain cells in the advanced stages of the disease. Towards the end of the disease, it negatively affects other organs due to the death of brain cells, making the person's body dysfunctional.
Early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease include forgetting recent events, newly learned information, and conversations. Over time, this progresses to severe memory problems and loss of ability to perform daily tasks. While there are no treatment options, early diagnosis can slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's Symptoms
The most common symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are difficulty remembering newly learned information and memory loss. The symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are as follows:
Difficulty remembering newly learned information
Forgetting recent events, places and names
Difficulty performing routine daily tasks
Having difficulty finding the right words
Experiencing planning and organization disorders
Weakness in decision-making and judgment ability
Being in an anxious mood
Decreased problem-solving ability
Increased completion time for routine tasks
Symptoms of mid-stage Alzheimer's:
Becoming in need of care and assistance
Increased memory loss and confusion
Gradually losing the concept of seasons, years, weeks or days
Difficulty recognizing family members or friends
Constant repetition of thoughts and events that pass through your mind
Not being able to do simple mathematical calculations
Needing help, especially with personal care
Developing unfounded feelings of suspicion
Becoming depressed as the disease progresses
Having sleep disorders
Severe Alzheimer's symptoms, also called end-stage Alzheimer's symptoms, include:
Completely lost memory
Complete forgetting of family and close circle
Inability to perform basic tasks such as feeding, sitting, and walking without assistance
Urinary incontinence
Difficulty eating and weight loss
Loss of ability to communicate
The immunity against diseases, especially infections, has decreased significantly.
In general, Alzheimer's symptoms are most commonly seen when a person experiences memory loss and needs help with daily needs,
Alzheimer's disease can be classified into stages such as not recognizing others and having difficulty communicating. Alzheimer's disease is seen in the initial, moderate and severe stages.
People stay in nursing homes, especially in the last, severe stages.
In the final stage, severe loss of brain function can occur, along with dehydration, malnutrition, and infections.
Complications can lead to death in Alzheimer's patients.
What Causes Alzheimer's?
Alzheimer's disease, the exact cause of which is not fully known, is generally thought to occur as a result of damage to brain functions and death as a result of an abnormal protein accumulation (amyloid and tau protein) in the brain.
