The New Century disease
Introduction:
There are
many diseases that are increasing the rate of spreading among young and elderly
populations like obesity, hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases, and the
century disease that all young people are afraid of if they are having family
history or gene deficits related to this disease is Alzheimer’s disease. There are many people affected by this
disease even famous actors cause to have many problems in their life that
destroy their careers.
Alzheimer’s disease:
Alzheimer’s
disease is the disease of this century that affect brain function that is an irreversible
destruction of the brain that causes memory loss, confusion, and dementia (loss
of intellectual cognitive thinking abilities, remembering, and behavior). To know
more about the human brain you can see the blogger page or YouTube
https://healthandsaferpopulation.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-miracle-of-human-brain.html
https://healthandsaferpopulation.blogspot.com/2023/01/adrenal-glands-fight-and-flight.html
Alzheimer’s
disease causes damage to the brain cells that reduce their ability to do its
function normally because of the abundance of plaques that secret another type
of protein that effect the brain cells and its function.
History of discovering Alzheimer’s disease:
Alzheimer’s disease discovered in 1906 by Dr. Alois
Alzheimer when examining dead woman with unknown mental illness, with symptoms
of memory loss, unusual behaviors, and some language problems. The examination
showed abnormal plaques and tangled fibers cause loss of connection between
brain cells when interrupting the neuron to transmit the massages to different
parts of brain cells and can affect the body’s reaction to the environment.
Risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease
The risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease is the age that if
the person aged from 65 and older can get the disease. Also, a family history
of Alzheimer’s disease can be highly significant in the transmission of the
gene to family members. Many researchers identified the genes that can be risk
genes or deterministic genes that can be inherited by the family members to
have the disease. The risk genes mean that the
person probably carries a specific disease-associated mutation or is affected
by a genetic disorder. The deterministic genes believe
all human behavior and activity are completely controlled by genes and the
environment can influence the activation of these genes. And those who carry
risk genes can get the disease more than deterministic genes.
Signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease:
The signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease according to stage of disease severity. The main sign and symptom of this disease is cognitive impairment and memory problem. Also, the person with the disease can have difficulty moving, impaired judgment, and problems with the senses.
Alzheimer’s disease stages:
1-
Early stage (mild) the
person can be independent and can do his normal daily activity only the person
can have some memory problems like forgetting and concentration loss
2-
Middle stage (moderate) is
the longest stage and can last longer the person can have confusion, getting
angry easily and frustration, and can act unexpectedly. At this stage the
symptoms more noticeable. In this stage the person need help and can be partially
dependent.
3-
Late stage (severe) the
person loss the ability to respond according to his environment, can’t remember
any things, can’t control movement, and difficult communication. The person in
this stage he will be totally dependent.
Diagnostic tests for Alzheimer’s disease:
There are many tests to identify Alzheimer’s disease and if
early recognition early finding solutions and cure or maintain the health
status of the patient from deterioration.
First to identify the disease the doctor may do a
comprehensive medical assessment of the patient
About his signs and symptoms, family history of the same
disease, problems in solving issues, and language problems.
After that, the doctor may request some blood and urine
tests to clarify the diagnosis and identify the causes. Also, the physician can
refer the patient to a different specialty like psychiatry for psychiatric
evaluation and neurology for brain function.
Also, the patient can have certain diagnostic tests like
computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and collecting
cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
All these tests can help to identify the disease and if
early recognition of the disease the doctor can help the patient to reduce the
symptoms and to maintain the health status of the patient.
Treatment of Alzheimer’s disease:
The treatment of Alzheimer’s disease varies according to the
stage of the disease. Mild to moderate disease drugs are prescribed to control
the symptoms like cognitive, behavioral, memory, and thinking symptoms. Medication
like cholinesterase inhibitors prevents the breakdown of acetylcholine. Also,
an immunotherapy targeting protein beta-amyloid that helps reduce amyloid plaque studies reveal the effectiveness of using this type of
medication in the early stage (mild) cognitive impairment.
The treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease also
the medication prescribed to treat symptoms like the ability to do activities of
daily life like using the bathroom, eating food, and face washing
independently.
To read more
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/how-alzheimers-disease-treated#mild
Home management of Alzheimer’s disease:
The management of Alzheimer’s disease at home is very
important to maintain the patient’s health and well-being the caregiver can create a daily routine that reinforces familiarity but
if there are any changes in the routine can make the patient confuse. This is
the role of the caregiver to adjust the changes and gradually introduce changes
so that the patient can be familiar with any changes.
Also, the caregiver can plan
activities for the patient with Alzheimer’s disease like cooking,
walking, dancing, listening to music or Quran, playing simple games, going
outside, and visiting friends. These activities can help the patient feel good
and make the day busy. This can improve the patient’s
communication with others and strengthen the social well-being of the
patient, family, and friends that he is not alone and there is support.
Nutrition at this stage of
life is very important that helps the patient to be well-hydrated sometimes the
patient can’t remember when they eat or drink, also the patient’s appetite will
be reduced if they refuse to eat food. The caregiver can fix the time of the
meal and make a healthy colorful plate. The patient can take food that is rich
in vitamins and minerals that is easy to chew and swallow because in this stage
the patient may have difficulty chewing and swallowing.
The caregiver can encourage the patient to do his daily activity which helps them increase
their self-esteem. These activities can be like brushing his teeth, taking a
bath and wearing nice clothes, nail cutting, and can buy for them comfortable
clothes.
The most important thing the caregiver must ensure is the patient’s safety by wearing safe and comfortable
shoes, covering the hard place that may harm the patient like the edge of the
table, make sure the floor with no water that can harm the patient and cause
him to fill down, be away from the kitchen because can burn or harm himself.
These all precautions and management at home make the
patient’s life easier and in good health and well-being.
References:
https://www.alz.org/national/documents/brochure_basicsofalz_low.pdf
https://www.alzsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/ALZHEIMERS-Understanding-the-disease.pdf
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/how-alzheimers-disease-diagnosed