| Alzheimer's is a neurodegenerative disease that is | | | | significant memory loss the patient tries to shields |
| typified by progressive weakening of cognitive skills, | | | | himself or herself from anything that they find |
| affecting all aspects of day to day activities. A | | | | unfamiliar, as a result the person can become highly |
| person suffering from Alzheimer's is likely to undergo | | | | confused and get lost easily and frequently. |
| severe behavioral changes. | | | | In the next stage, the victim of Alzheimer's starts |
| Emil Kraepelin was the first person to identify the | | | | seeking assistance to carry out those tasks that |
| symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Alois Alzheimer, | | | | require heavy lifting. Their speech starts getting |
| who was a German psychiatrist, studied typical | | | | affected and quite frequently they stop abruptly |
| neuropathology for the first time in the year 1906. | | | | after saying half a sentence. Depression, irritation and |
| The distinct and the most striking symptom of | | | | restlessness are some of the common traits during |
| Alzheimer's disease is amnesia. In the early stages, a | | | | this stage of illness. |
| victim of Alzheimer's is quite often found to be in a | | | | Slowly, the individual becomes disabled. They may |
| confused state, and facing problems with short-term | | | | remember past incidents but can't recall the very |
| memory. There are usually problems with paying | | | | recent ones. In the advanced stage it becomes |
| attention and in terms of spatial orientation. | | | | difficult for the patient to distinguish between day |
| The personality of the person affected usually | | | | and night or even recognize the faces of very near |
| undergoes a massive change coupled with frequent | | | | and dear ones. |
| mood swings and the language of the patient may | | | | In the last stage of the disease, patients merely |
| be affected. However, it should be noted that | | | | exist. They experience total loss of memory and |
| Alzheimer's disease does not affect everyone in the | | | | they are unable to eat properly and cannot control |
| same way,and this can make the disease quite | | | | themselves to any great extent. Constant care is |
| difficult to diagnose. | | | | needed for a patient at this stage. The individual also |
| In the early stages of the illness, patients tend to | | | | becomes prone to other diseases such as pneumonia, |
| lose energy and their alertness of mind decreases | | | | infections, etc. Ultimately they become confined to |
| but this change is hardly noticeable. Also, there is loss | | | | bed and this fatal stage leads to death. |
| of memory and the person may become moody. | | | | Alzheimer's disease is not curable but there are |
| Overall, the affected person becomes slow in | | | | treatments available that can slow its progress and |
| responding to everyday stimuli. Eventually, due to the | | | | there is promising research that may lead to a cure. |