Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease: Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention

Alzheimer's disease is a common issue among people today. In this health complication, people generally tend to lose their memory, thinking, and learning abilities. As a result, they forget things that they have planned or organized. It is usually seen among people around the age of 75 or older.

What is Alzheimer’s Disease? An Overview

Alzheimer's disease mostly occurs in people with growing age. They tend to forget conversations or incidents that have occurred. In severe cases, it may even lead to an infection, dehydration, or poor nutrition. Alzheimer's disease cannot be rectified completely, but the symptoms can be reduced to an extent through treatment and medication. This progressive neurodegenerative disorder typically disrupts the communication between your neurons. As a result, the impact of it is reflected in your behavior and thinking abilities.

Alzheimer’s vs. Dementia: What are the Differences?

Both Alzheimer and Dementia are related to each other, but the major difference lies in how both of them impact your cognitive health. Alzheimer's vs dementia cannot be distinguished very clearly as Alzheimer's disease is basically a specific type of Dementia, and it may further lead to severe other complications if not treated on time. The major points of difference:

• Scope of the Diseases: Dementia is a serious issue, occurs due to a cognitive decline and can be extremely critical. On the other hand, Alzheimer’s disease is a specific kind of dementia.
• Causes of the Diseases: Alzheimer's disease leads to Dementia, but Dementia does not necessarily come from Alzheimer's. It may be due to various other reasons too.
• Progression of the Diseases: Alzheimer's disease typically gets worse with time. On the other hand, Dementia progresses mainly depending upon the underlying cause of the ailment.

What Deficiency Causes Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer's disease causes are not just due to one single reason but there are so many other contributing factors that may lead to this complication. A nutritional deficiency in the body may interrupt your overall development, thereby pushing you go get Alzheimer’s disease.

• Vitamin B12: It helps with RBC production and thus maintains the nerve cells. The deficiency of this nutrient in the body is going to give you memory issues and other kinds of cognitive impairment.
• Vitamin D: Since this nutrient is responsible for brain development, a lack of it may lead to Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
• Antioxidants: Absence of antioxidants in the body will lead you to get oxidative stress in the brain. As a result, this will interfere with your cognitive skills, increasing your chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease.
• Omega 3 fatty acids: Omega 3 is extremely crucial for the development of your brain cells and thus, your overall health. A lack of this component will cause you a cognitive decline.
• Folate: Inadequate folate, particularly Vitamin B9, will disrupt the production of neurotransmitters in your brain, which are otherwise very essential for your memory and learning.

Causes of Alzheimer’s Disease: Understanding the Risk Factors

• Genetics: This is definitely one of the major reasons for getting Alzheimer's disease. The presence of the APOE ε4 allele, responsible for fat and cholesterol metabolism in the body, may contribute towards getting Alzheimer's disease but is not confirmed. Genes like APP (amyloid precursor protein), PSEN1 (presenilin 1), and PSEN2 (presenilin 2) undergo specific mutations, leading to this complication.
• Tau Tangles: Tau protein tangles (also called neurofibrillary tangles) are present in the nerve cells. An abnormal change in the tan may cause the microtubules to detach, and form twisted tangles, thereby interfering with the overall transport system of the brain.
• Imbalances in Neurotransmitters: An imbalance in the neurotransmitters, namely acetylcholine, may undergo a decline, which is eventually linked to memory and learning.
• Vascular Disruption: A low blood flow to the brain results in vascular issues, contributing to Alzheimer's disease and thus, brain damage over time.
• Age: Definitely, this is another important contributor towards having Alzheimer's disease. The accumulation of amyloid plaques and tau tangles among people above the age of 65 years is quite common and may lead to such complications.

Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease

• Loss of Memory: One of the most common Alzheimer's disease symptoms includes difficulty in remembering recent events, and discussions.
• Disorientation: Such patients often forget the time of the day, or miss out some serious conversations.
• Decline in Cognitive Abilities: People with cognitive issues often lead to problems related to thinking, decision making, and reasoning.
• Struggling with Day-to-Day Activities: It gets difficult to manage daily tasks which were otherwise quite easy and comfortable to deal with!
• Social Withdrawal: A lot of people tend to reduce their way of mingling with others, and thus, quite interaction and socializing.
• Difficulty with Daily Tasks: Getting tough when it comes to finding the right words to speak, or keep on repeating the same word again and again.

Types of Alzheimer’s Disease: Understand the Variants

Alzheimer's disease can further be segregated based on its early onset, late onset, contributing factors and other genetic influences. However, all of these lead to a single yet complex, multifactoral condition. Sometimes, lifestyle changes and environmental factors may contribute towards this complication.

Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease: From Early Symptoms to Severe Decline

Here are some of the major classifications of alzheimer's disease stages:

• Early Onset: This develops usually between the age of 30 to 65 due to mutations in genes or family inheritance.
• Late Onset: This occurs after the age of 65 years due to genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors. Gradual memory loss is a major symptom in this variant.
• Familial Alzheimer's: It is a rare form of Alzheimer's disease, contributing to only 1 to 5% of the cases. Generations tend to get affected by this disease.
• Sporadic Alzheimer's: This is the most common variant and is usually caused due to the presence of the APOE ε4 gene, lifestyle, and environmental disruptions. People suffering from diabetes and hypertension are more likely to be affected by this complication.
• Lewy Body Dementia: The symptoms are almost like Alzheimer's with memory loss and cognitive decline. It has other symptoms too, such as Parkinson's disease and visual disturbances.

How is Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosed?

Patients suffering from memory loss and other symptoms need to visit a doctor who would be able to diagnose the issue post various medical tests, assessments, clinical evaluations, brain imaging and lab tests. Neuropsychological testing, conducting an Electroencephalogram, or spinal fluid analysis are some of the ways to carry out an alzheimer's disease treatment.

Can Alzheimer’s Disease Be Prevented?

Although there is no proven theory to prevent Alzheimer's disease. It can however, be controlled or one may choose to reduce the likelihood of developing this complication by taking care of his/her brain health. Regular physical exercise, cognitive engagement, taking care of the cardiovascular health, intaking a healthy diet, and socializing are some of the ways and means towards leading a healthy life.

Is Alzheimer’s Disease Genetic? Understanding Hereditary Risk

Yes, Alzheimer's disease can be genetic. A complex interaction between the genes, environment and one's lifestyle may lead to Alzheimer's disease. APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2 mutations may lead to an early onset of familial Alzheimer's disease, while the presence of APOE ε4 allele is the major cause of getting a late onset. However, such cases account to only 1-5% of the patients.