Alzheimer's disease is a progressive brain disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. It causes brain cell connections and the brain cells themselves to degenerate, shrink and die off slowly, these occurrences destroys memory and other important mental functions.
The damage most often starts in the region of the brain that controls memory, but the process begins years before the first symptoms.
Epidemiology:
There are more than 1.5 million cases per year in Nigeria.
Causes:
Alzheimer's disease is caused by a combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors that affect the brain over time.
Symptoms:
Symptoms ranges from cognitive, psychological, behavioral and mood expressions.
- Cognitive expressions: These types of symptoms include difficulty with skilled movement, or paraphasia, mental decline, difficulty thinking and understanding, confusion in the evening hours, delusion, disorientation, forgetfulness, inability to recognize common things, making things up, mental confusion, routinely misplacing possessions (often putting them in illogical locations), getting lost in familiar places.
Multitasking is especially difficult, they repeat statements and questions over and over, They forget conversations, appointments or events, and do not remember them later. They eventually forget the names of family members and everyday objects, They have trouble finding the right words to identify objects, express thoughts or take part in conversations.
- Behavioural Expressions: Irritability and aggressiveness, Social withdrawal, lack of restraint and withdrawal, wandering, general discontent, loneliness, routinely misplace possessions.
- Mood Expressions: Depression, mood swings, anger, apathy, loneliness.
- Psychological expressions: Distrust in others, Changes in sleeping habits, paranoia, Delusions, such as believing something has been stolen. hallucination.
Other expressions include loss of appetite.
Risk factors:
Age
Family history and genetics
Gender
Down syndrome
Air pollution
Mild cognitive impairment
Head trauma
Excessive alcohol intake
Poor sleep patterns
Obesity
High blood pressure
High cholesterol level
Lack of exercise
Secondary smoking
Treatment:
There's currently no cure for Alzheimer's disease but there are different therapy that help to improve the patient's condition including;
Drugs for treating the cognitive symptoms.
Physical exercises like aerobics to prevent further deterioration of the brain cells and brain damage.
Prevention:
Regular Exercise
Eating a healthy diet
Proper management of high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol level.
Quit smoking
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