# What is Alzheimer's disease? **URL:** \ **Category:** Health\ **Created:** [September 30, 2020, 5:55am UTC](https://howtodiscuss.com/t/what-is-alzheimers-disease/21762 "2020-09-30T05:55:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 5
**Author:** ![rida20](https://howtodiscuss.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/b487fb/32.png) [@rida20](https://howtodiscuss.com/u/rida20)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 11:30am UTC](https://howtodiscuss.com/t/what-is-alzheimers-disease/21762/5 "2020-11-06T11:30:44Z")
**What is Alzheimer’s disease?** **How does it happen?** As the world is suffering from a high illiteracy rate, people usually aren’t aware of the disease due to the lack of knowledge. We need to aware people about the causes and symptoms of Alzheimer’s as well as how to treat these patients. Usually, people ignore the symptoms and relate it to aging which eventually crosses its boundaries later. ### **WHAT IS ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE?** Alzheimer’s is an irreversible and incurable disease which loses a person’s capability to remember and to perform simple tasks. It is the most common form of dementia that causes destruction of memory, thinking and behavior. ### **CAUSES OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE:** Memories are one of the most beautiful treasures a person can cherish for the rest of their lives. But when it starts to slip away gradually, it is agonizing not only for the victim but also for their loved ones around. That is why Alzheimer’s is also known as a family disease because it’s entirely the suffering of a whole family. There are many causes of this disease that goes through gradual processes which are as follows: 1. Genetics 2. Age 3. Head injury 4. Family history 5. Unhealthy lifestyle 6. Cardiovascular disease increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. 7. Addiction to smoking and alcohol consumption. 8. Social isolation 9. Sedentary lifestyle 10. Social isolation or social anxiety. ### **SYMPTOMS OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE:** According to doctors, it takes 3 to 8 years to show symptoms of Alzheimer’s and till that, the person most probably enters into the incurable stage of this disease. The symptoms are divided into three stages: **1. Curable Mild symptoms:** The early mild symptoms include: 1. Forgetting everyday tasks 2. Misplacing things 3. Forgetting names 4. Difficulty in planning and organizing 5. Experience intense trouble when planning or organizing something **2. Curable Moderate symptoms:** This is the stage when the symptoms start to get prominent and more pronounced. In this stage, a patient needs intensive care. The moderate symptoms include: 1. Unable to express the thoughts 2. Extremely weird behaviors in socially challenging situations 3. Forgetting your name and the names of family members 4. Confused about where they are right now or what day it is. 5. Drastic changes in sleeping patterns such as awake all night and sleeping all-day 6. Loses control of bladder (involuntarily urination) **3. Incurable Severe Symptoms:** This is the stage when things get out of hands and the patient needs extreme care for the rest of their lives. The severe symptoms include: 1. loss of consciousness of the surroundings and their well-being 2. Unable to communicate with people around them 3. Most likely to be attacked to infections especially pneumonia. 4. Loss awareness 5. Extreme mood swings 6. Personality and behavior fluctuations. 7. Physical disabilities such as unable to walk, hold things, unable to see or swallow food. 8. Trust and anger issues ### **WHY ALZHEIMER HAPPENS?** According to the study, Alzheimer’s disease happens when abnormal cells that are made up of proteins start to multiply and subjugates into the brain cells. These protein cells are known as **“Tau”** and **“Amyloid”**. Tau deposits into the brain cells in the form of tangles whereas amyloid deposits into the brain cells in the form of plague. When these proteins start to solidify into the cells, it causes disruption between the neurotransmitters which has a function to control and transport messages in the form of neurons. Gradually over time, the brain parts start to shrink and it firstly initiates from the amygdala part which is associated with emotional control and storing memories. ### **HOW TO DEAL WITH ALZHEIMER’S PATIENT?** Although scientists have been doing modern inventions and treatment for curing several diseases, still the cure for Alzheimer’s hasn’t been found yet. Doctors suggest keeping a strict check if you’re facing early symptoms or have a family history of this disease. Ignorance is the biggest cause of this disease. We always attach loss of memory with age. Alzheimer’s is shrouded in stigma and misinformation. 2 out of 3 people believe the fact that these are part of aging but actually it’s not. Whereas 95% of people think that every person suffers from dementia in the late age of their lives. After the diagnosis, the most strenuous part is to deal with these patients. We should educate and aware people of how to communicate with them. Patients with this disease feel like their lives are over. The ways to deal with these patients are as follows: 1. Keep things simple and ask one question at once. Too much questioning can disturb them. 2. Keeping a daily routine that they can remember. A slight change of routine can cause them panic attacks. 3. We as an individual need to spend time with them and try not to make them feel alone. 4. Try to communicate with them though it’s not easy. Focus on their feelings rather than words. 5. Give plenty of time to respond and try not to distract their conversation. 6. Use of humor can help to keep them calm 7. Don’t argue with them even if they’re saying wrong. The argument can trigger anger and fear. 8. Even if they forget you and treating you like a stranger, be okay with that. Don’t force them to remember what is your relation. 9. Ask for help and let me do little tasks like passing something or holding things. 10. Consult with a doctor if they’re facing extreme depression and hallucinations etc. ### **WHY ALZHEIMER’S DAY IS CELEBRATED?** Alzheimer’s day is celebrated on 21st September where a plethora of organizations dealing with this cause gets together in order to raise awareness and the issues faced by the families. The aim of this day is to gather people’s opinions and experiences around the world that are experiencing this in their families and enlightens upon the misconception people have regarding this disease. Every year people celebrate this month by helping families dealing with this problem as well as the patients. They prefer wearing purple ribbons for the whole month in order to support the cause. ### **CONCLUSION:** Alzheimer’s is a really painful disease both for families and the victim. A person gets more like a living ■■■■ body. This is the reason why it is highly needed to be aware of the early signs and symptoms. According to the World Health Rankings, About 17% of the people from ages 60 to 65 suffer from this disease and about 15% of ages 75 or more are more likely to get affected by it. We need to educate people about the causes and challenges and gather together in order to collaborate and share best practices with one another. Let’s break the silence so that we can detect the symptoms early before it’s too late. --- _[View the full topic](https://howtodiscuss.com/t/what-is-alzheimers-disease/21762)._