Alzheimer Disease

Alzheimer's Disease Treatment in Hyderabad, India

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurologic disorder responsible for the death of brain cells and the shrinking of the brain (atrophy). It is the most common reason for dementia. Dementia is a persistent decline in behavioral, thinking, and social skills that impact the ability of a person to work independently. The initial signs of the disease may include forgetting recent conversations and events. With disease progress, a patient may lose his ability to work on daily tasks and suffer from severe brain loss. 

Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Dementia

Symptoms of the mild stage of Alzheimer’s dementia: In the initial stage of Alzheimer's disease, symptoms become apparent, with the most prevalent early sign being the inability to retain recently acquired information, particularly in relation to recent events, locations, and names.

Additional indications and manifestations of mild Alzheimer's include:

• Struggling to articulate thoughts, encountering challenges in finding appropriate words.
• Experiencing an increased frequency of misplacing or losing objects.
• Facing difficulties in planning and organizing tasks.
• Encountering challenges in problem-solving.
• Taking an extended time to complete everyday activities.
• During this mild stage, individuals generally retain the ability to recognize familiar faces and navigate familiar places with relative ease.

Symptoms of the moderate stage of Alzheimer’s: The moderate stage of Alzheimer's disease is typically the lengthiest phase, often spanning several years, and individuals at this stage typically require ongoing care and assistance.

During the moderate stage, individuals may:

• Experience heightened memory loss and confusion, frequently forgetting details about their life, such as their phone number or educational background.
• Exhibit increasing confusion regarding the day of the week, current season, and their location.
• Have compromised short-term memory.
• Encounter difficulty recognizing friends and family.
• Engage in repetitive storytelling, thoughts, or discussions.
• Struggle with basic mathematical tasks.
• Require assistance with essential self-care activities like bathing, grooming, and using the bathroom.
• Witness more pronounced personality changes, including agitation or disruptive behavior. Depression, apathy, or anxiety may become more evident as the disease advances.
• Develop unfounded suspicions, including delusions about family, friends, or caregivers.
• Experience urinary and/or bowel incontinence.
• Encounter sleep disturbances.
• Begin to wander away from their familiar living area.

Symptoms of the severe stage of Alzheimer’s: In the advanced phase of Alzheimer's disease, dementia symptoms reach a severe level, demanding comprehensive care.

During the severe stage of Alzheimer's, individuals typically:

• Experience near-complete memory loss.
• Lack awareness of their surroundings.
• Require assistance with all fundamental daily activities, including eating, sitting up, and walking.
• Lose their ability to communicate effectively, with speech reduced to a few words or phrases.
• Become highly susceptible to infections, particularly pneumonia and skin infections.
• At this point, hospice care may be deemed appropriate to ensure comfort and support.

Risk factors associated with Alzheimer's disease

• Increasing age might be a possible risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. It might not be a part of normal aging, but by the time a person grows older, he is likely to develop this disease. 

• Family genetics and history may also be possible risks for developing Alzheimer's disease. Most of the mechanisms based on this disease remain unexplained and complex to understand. 

• Poor sleep patterns may also increase Alzheimer's disease.

• Heart health and lifestyle are also possible risk factors related to Alzheimer's disease. These might include obesity, lack of exercise, high blood pressure, and poor control of type 2 diabetes. 

Causes 

• Tangles and plagues are thought to be the causes of Alzheimer's disease. 
• These are defined as two abnormal structures such as tangles and plagues, and both are considered the main suspects in killing and damaging nerve cells. 
• Tangles are defined as twisted fibers of other tau proteins that gather inside cells. 
• Plagues are known as protein fragment deposits referred to as beta-amyloid that gather in the space present between the nerve cells. 

What are the stages of Alzheimer’s disease? 

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that typically unfolds in stages, each characterized by different symptoms and levels of cognitive decline. It's important to note that the progression of the disease can vary from person to person. The stages are generally categorized into three main phases: early, middle, and late.

Early Stage (Mild Alzheimer's Disease):

• Memory loss: Individuals may experience difficulty remembering names, recent events, or where they placed items.
• Mild cognitive impairment: There may be challenges with concentration, organization, and planning.
• Changes in mood and personality: A person may become more withdrawn, anxious, or irritable.

Middle Stage (Moderate Alzheimer's Disease):

• Increased memory loss: Memory deficits become more pronounced, affecting daily activities and recognition of familiar faces.
• Confusion and disorientation: Individuals may become disoriented about time and place, sometimes forgetting where they are or how they got there.
• Communication difficulties: Speech and language problems may arise, making it challenging for the person to express themselves or understand others.
• Behavioral changes: Agitation, aggression, wandering, and sleep disturbances may occur.
• Difficulty with motor skills: Coordination and the ability to perform routine tasks may decline.

Late Stage (Severe Alzheimer's Disease):

• Profound memory loss: Individuals may lose awareness of their surroundings and the ability to recognize family and friends.
• Dependency on others: Assistance is required for basic activities of daily living, such as eating, dressing, and personal hygiene.
• Loss of motor skills: Mobility and motor functions may be severely impaired, leading to difficulties in walking and, eventually, being bedridden.
• Non-verbal communication: Individuals may lose the ability to speak coherently and may rely on non-verbal cues or expressions.
• Increased vulnerability to infections: As the immune system weakens, the person becomes more susceptible to infections.

Diagnosis based on Alzheimer's disease 

Our medical practitioners at Alzheimer's Disease Treatment in Hyderabad check on the symptoms such as cognitive decline, memory loss, changes in behavior, etc., that might affect a patient's ability to perform daily chores. Family and friends might notice dementia symptoms before the patient. A single test is not available for this disease; a healthcare provider may ask to perform different festivals such as urine or blood tests, and neurological function tests for reflexes, senses, and balance. A patient may also be asked to get genetic testing, an MRI scan, or a CT scan of the brain. 

Various assessment tools are present for assessing cognitive function. For a few cases, genetic testing can be considered more appropriate. 

Treatment is offered for Alzheimer's disease 

While there is no permanent cure, the symptoms can be controlled, improving a person's life quality and their caregivers and family. 

Dementia care can be offered with the following crucial elements 

• daycare programs and activities 

• effective management of the conditions associated with Alzheimer 

• support services involvement

Medicines for cognitive symptoms 

• Drugs for modifying the disease are not available for Alzheimer's, but a few options may ease the symptoms and help in improving life quality. Drugs named cholinesterase inhibitors may relieve cognitive symptoms such as confusion, memory loss, judgment issues, and altered thinking processes. These drugs can help in improving neural brain communication and slow the symptom's progress. These drugs are somewhat effective in Alzheimer's disease treatment.

Behavioral and emotional treatments

The behavioral and emotional changes associated with Alzheimer's disease might be challenging to handle. Patients may experience excessive depression, anxiety, restlessness, irritability, sleep disorders, etc. These might result from some medications, problems in vision or hearing, and discomfort. By evaluating the associated triggers, such behaviors might be eased with environmental changes such as changing clothes and bathing for a fresh feeling. With environmental changes, a person may feel secure, comfortable, and peaceful. 

For a few cases, doctors may recommend medications, such as:

• antipsychotic drugs for delusions, hallucinations, or aggression

• antidepressants for treating low mood

• antianxiety drugs 

At CARE Hospitals, we provide the Best Alzheimer's disease treatment in Hyderabad with comprehensive evaluation and treatment by specialists for a wide spectrum of conditions that cause cognitive and memory impairment such as Alzheimer's disease, dementia, brain trauma, etc.