Symptoms Associated With Alzheimer's

Symptoms Associated With Alzheimer's
by Peter Gitundu

physician has been notified, and it is suspected, the diagnosis is usually confirmed
with behavioral assessments and cognitive tests, often followed by a brain scan if
available.

As the Alzheimer advances, symptoms include confusion, irritability and aggression,
mood swings, language breakdown, long-term memory loss, and the general
withdrawal of the sufferer as their senses decline. Gradually, minor and major bodily
functions are lost, ultimately leading to death. Individual prognosis is difficult to
assess, as the duration of the disease varies. It develops for an indeterminate period
of time before becoming fully apparent, and it can progress undiagnosed for years.
The mean life expectancy following diagnosis is approximately seven years. Fewer
than three percent of individuals live more than fourteen years after diagnosis.

The disease course is divided into four stages, with a progressive pattern of cognitive
and functional impairment. They include dementia, early dementia, moderate
dementia and finally advanced dementia.

The cause and progression of Alzheimer disease is not well understood. Research
indicates that the disease is associated with plaques and tangles in the brain.
Currently used treatments offer a small symptomatic benefit; no treatments to delay
or halt the progression of the disease are as yet available. Since it has no cure and it
gradually renders people incapable of tending for their own needs, care giving
essentially is the treatment and must be carefully managed over the course of the
disease.

About The Author

Peter Gitundu Researches And Reports On Health. For more information on
Alzheimers, visit his site at .

Alzheimer is the most common form
of dementia. This incurable,
degenerative, and terminal disease
was first described by German
psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer in 1901.
Although each sufferer experiences it
in a unique way, there are many
common symptoms. The earliest
observable symptoms are often
mistakenly thought to be
'age-related' concerns, or
manifestations of stress. The most
commonly recognized early
symptom is memory loss, such as
difficulty in remembering recently
learned facts. When a doctor or

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this website is for educational purposes only. Please consult with your physician before using natural
remedies and before making any drastic changes to your diet or exercise program.