What is Alzheimer's Disease?
Expert answers to frequently asked questions
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of Dementia .Dementia is a collective name for progressive degenerative brain syndromes which affect memory, thinking, behavior and emotion.
Symptoms may include:
- Loss of memory
- Difficulty in finding the right words or understanding what people are saying
- Difficulty in performing previously routine tasks
- Personality and mood changes
Diagnosis of Dementia
There is no simple test to make a diagnosis and dementia can only be confirmed with certainty by examining the brain at post mortem. 1-lowever, a reasonably accurate diagnosis of dementia can be made by taking a careful history of the person’s problem from a closerelativc or friend, together with an examination of the person’s physical and mental status. It is important to exclude other treatable conditions that cause memory loss such as depression urinary infection, vitamin deficiency and brain tumour.
Symptoms
Typically, Alzheimer’s disease begins with lapses of memory. difficulty in finding the right words for everyday
objects or mood swings. As Alzheimer’s progresses. the person may
- Routinely forget recent events, names and faces and have difficulty in understanding what is being said
- Become confused when handling money or driving a car
- Undergo personality changes, appearing to no longer care about those around them
- Experience mood swings and burst into tears for no apparent reason or become convinced that someone is trying to harm them
In advanced cases, people may also:
- Adopt unsettling behavior like getting up in the middle of the night or wander off and become lost
- Lose their inhibitions and sense of suitable behavior, undress in public or make inappropriate sexual advances.
What care should we provide to patients with Alzheimer’s disease ?
In treating patients with dementia as definitive cure for the condition is not possible. It is very important to provide as much supportive care as possible. Many patients have lost their control over urination; they can be helped with catheters or condom drainage. Frequent change of posture is important to prevent pressure sores. Feeds should be given in upright position as far as possible to prevent fluids from entering in to lungs.
How to handle emotional outbursts of a patient with dementia?
Emotional outbursts and violent behavior are very common problems that caregivers face when dealing with a patient having dementia. Usually, these emotional outbursts are inappropriate responses to any of the basic physical needs of the patient, like hunger, sleep or desire to evacuate bowels. As the patient’s response to these physical needs is altered in dementia, he adopts a violent behavior. Identification of the cause of such outbursts and fulfilling the physical need usually takes care of such episodes. Being told you have Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia or any other cause of dementia can come as a shock, even if you have felt that something was not quite right.
Common questions asked about Alzheimer Disease
1.My mother has Alzheimer's disease. Will I get it?
There are a few very rare cases where Alzheimer’s disease does run in families. In these cases, there is a direct link between an inherited mutation in one gene and the onset of the disease. Most cases of Alzheimer’s disease are not of the type that is passed on directly in this way. If a family member has a normal form of Alzheimer's disease. the risk to close relatives is around three times higher than the risk for a person of similar age who has no family history of the disease.
2. Is there a cure?
There is currently no cure for Alzheimer's Disease or for most other causes of dementia. Nor can a cure be expected in the foreseeable future.
3. Are there any drug treatments for. Alzheimer’s disease?
Although there are no drugs that can cure Alzheimer’s disease. there are a number of drug treatments that can help some people with Alzheimer’s disease. The currently available treatments can slow down the progression of the disease in some cases for periods between 6 and 18 months. The main class of such compounds is the cholinesterase inhibitors. These drugs work by reducing the breakdown of acetylcholine in the brain. Acetylcholine is a chemical substance that occurs naturally in the brain and enables nerve cells in the brain to pass to messages to each other.
Research has shown that many people with Alzheimer’s disease have a reduced amount of acetylcholine and it has thought that the loss of this chemical may result in deterioration of memory.
4. Can Alzheimer’s disease be prevented?
Not enough is known about the causes of Alzheimer’s disease for any preventive measures to be recommended.
5. Dad has become Violent. What can I do
It is important to remember that your father’s aggression is not directly aimed at you but is part of his illness. It is common for people who have Alzheimer's Disease to pass through a phase of being angry and sometimes aggressive.
Although this phase will pass, it may help you in the meantime to consider some of the things that may be triggering your father’s anger. For example. he may not like being forced to accept help to do things that he used to do on his own, such as washing. Sometimes hunger, the need to pass urine or constipation can lead to disruptive behavior. If the angry outbursts have only started recently, they may be due to an infection or pain. Once you have been able to identify some of the things that tend to make your father angry, you may be able to reduce the number of angry outbursts.
6. Memory Loss in Alzheimer’s
Declining memory, especially short-term memory, is the most common early symptom of dementia. People with ordinary forgetfulness can still remember other facts associated with the thing they have forgotten. For example, they may briefly forget their next-door neighbor’s name but they still know the person they are talking to is their next- door neighbor. A person with dementia will not only forget their neighbor’s name but also the context.
The most common early symptoms of dementia are:
- Memory loss
- Difficulty performing familiar tasks
- Problems with language
- Disorientation to time and place
- Poor or decreased judgement
- Problems with keeping track of things
- Misplacing things
- Changes in mood or behavior
- Changes in personality
- Loss of initiative
Dr. D. Shivanand Pai, MD; DM (NEURO) , Associate Professor of Neurology , KMC, Mangaluru . Clinic : Amrutha Multi Speciality Clinic, Atthavar, Mangaluru . Ph: 0824 2443342, 2443340, 2442341
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Jaiswal masters tough conditions with fluent 75 as Royals post 173/4 against RCB
Jaipur, Apr 13 (PTI): Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal appeared to be batting on a different surface as he hit a sublime 47-ball 75 to power Rajasthan Royals to 173/4 in challenging conditions against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their IPL clash here on Sunday.
On a tacky Sawai Mansingh Stadium pitch where the ball stayed low and lacked pace, Jaiswal's strokeplay stood out after RCB won a good toss.
The 23-year-old struck 10 fours and two sixes, handling the testing conditions with remarkable poise even as the others around him struggled to get going.
After Jaiswal's departure, Dhruv Jurel got a reprieve from Virat Kohli and played the finisher's role with aplomb, striking a 23-ball 35 not out with two fours and two sixes as RR managed 59 runs in the last five overs.
After negotiating a disciplined opening spell from RCB's pace attack, led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, and Yash Dayal, Jaiswal teed off in the fifth over, hitting a six and a four off Yash Dayal.
He reached his second fifty of the season in 35 balls and ensured Royals maintained momentum through the middle overs.
Unlike his skipper Sanju Samson, who looked scratchy during his 13 off 16 balls, Jaiswal played with clarity and composure.
Samson, bogged down by seven dot balls and tight bowling, survived a run-out chance on 3 but was eventually stumped by Jitesh Sharma after misjudging a low delivery from Krunal Pandya, who bowled well.
Jaiswal, however, looked in complete control. He pierced the field with finesse, employing reverse sweeps and lap shots.
His strong back-foot game also came into play, as he cut and pulled effectively.
He found solid support from Riyan Parag, who looked fluent during his 30-run knock that included a six and three fours.
The duo added 56 runs for the second wicket off just 39 balls.
Parag, however, couldn't capitalise on a life he received on 13, when Dayal dropped a straightforward catch at point off Suyash Sharma's bowling.
He eventually fell in the 14th over to Dayal's well-guised slower back-of-the-hand delivery, mistiming it to Kohli at short cover.
Jaiswal continued to innovate, scooping Hazlewood for a six over fine leg. He followed it up with a thick edge through third man for four, but Hazlewood had the last word. In the same over, Jaiswal missed a sweep across the line to a full delivery and was trapped plumb in front.
RCB's fielding woes continued with Kohli dropping a routine catch of Jurel on 11.
