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Hypertension & more ::
what is alzheimers disease
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What is Alzheimer's disease?
It is one of the most common causes of dementia. While it largely strikes over 60, there are people as young as 40 who have the disease. Alzheimer's affects both sexes. Early signs of Alzheimer's disease include plain forgetfulness. Since this is common, it is usually overlooked, or explained away as an old age condition. In later stages, the symptoms expand to include difficulty to perform everyday tasks like tying shoelaces, fastening buttons, etc. Memory becomes progressively worse, and so do their overall mental and physical abilities. Behavioural changes are another distressing facet of Alzheimer's. For example, someone who has always been considerate becomes rough and rude and even uses dirty language. They may act inappropriately towards persons of the opposite sex and might hit out at others. As the disease progresses further, the patient may experience double incontinence, loss of ability to talk, inability to walk, paralysis, complete memory loss, etc. Alzheimer's causes are not known with certainty. Doctors speculate that aluminium deposits in the brain have something to do with it, as might fluoride in water. But nothing has been proved conclusively. There is no proven Alzheimer's disease treatment or cure However, if it is detected early enough, it is possible to slow the progress of the illness. It is important to provide as much support as possible in the early stages. However, since the early symptoms are fairly innocuous, the disease is often not detected early enough. And when it is diagnosed, many patients retreat into denial. After all, the thought of losing your mind is a very scary one. Apart from the patient, the patient's family may also need counselling and support to help them through what is sure to be a very difficult time. The problem is even worse if the sufferer is the main wage earner in the household. Support groups available in many cities can also help patients and families cope. At the later stages of the disease, the person's behaviour may deteriorate so much that the family may have no choice but to put them into a nursing home to receive professional care. This again, is a very difficult experience. Check out this link for more on what is Alzheimer's disease
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