Alzheimer's disease, also known as Alzheimer's disease or Neurocognitive Disorder due to Alzheimer's disease, is a degenerative brain disease that causes, as a first sign, changes in memory, which are subtle and difficult to perceive at first, but which they get worse over the months and years.
This disease is more common in the elderly, and the evolution of symptoms can be divided into 3 phases, which are mild, moderate and severe, and some initial clinical signs are changes such as difficulty in finding words, not knowing how to locate in time or where it is difficult to make decisions and lack of initiative, for example.
However, the symptoms of the different stages can mix and duration in each stage can vary from person to person. In addition, the disease can also occur in young people, a rare and more rapidly evolving situation, known as early, hereditary or familial Alzheimer's. Learn how to identify Alzheimer's early.
1. Early stage of Alzheimer's
In the initial stage, symptoms such as:
- Changes in memory, especially difficulty remembering the most recent events, such as where you kept your house keys, someone's name or a place you were, for example;
- Disorientation in time and space, having difficulty finding your way home or not knowing the day of the week or the season of the year;
- Difficulty making simple decisions, such as planning what to cook or buy;
- Repeat the same information constantly, or ask the same questions;
- Loss of desire to perform day-to-day activities;
- Loss of interest in activities I used to do, such as sewing or making calculations;
- Behavior change, usually becoming more aggressive or anxious;
- Changes in mood with moments of apathy, laughter and crying in certain situations.
In this phase, the alteration of memory happens to recent situations, and the memory of old situations remains normal, which makes it more difficult to realize that it may be a sign of Alzheimer's.
Thus, when these changes are noticed, it should not be associated only with normal aging, and it is advisable to go to the geriatrician or neurologist so that evaluations and memory tests can be carried out, which can identify more serious changes.
If you are suspicious that someone close to you has this disease, answer the questions in our rapid Alzheimer's test.
2. Moderate stage of Alzheimer's
Progressively the symptoms start to be more evident and can appear:
- Difficulty cooking or cleaning the house, leaving the stove on, placing raw food on the table or using the wrong utensils to clean the house, for example;
- Inability to do personal hygiene or forget to clean, wearing the same clothes constantly or walking dirty;
- Difficulty communicating, not remembering words or saying meaningless phrases and having little vocabulary;
- Difficulty reading and writing;
- Disorientation in familiar places, getting lost inside the house, urinating in the wastebasket, or confusing the rooms;
- Hallucinations, like hearing and seeing things that don't exist;
- Behavioral changes, becoming very quiet or excessively agitated;
- Always be very suspicious, especially of thefts;
- Sleep changes, being able to change the day for the night.
At this stage, the elderly become dependent on a family member to take care of themselves, because they are no longer able to do their daily tasks, due to all the difficulties and mental confusion. In addition, it is possible to start having difficulty walking and having sleep changes.
3. Advanced stage of Alzheimer's
In the most severe phase, the previous symptoms are more intensely present and others appear, such as:
- Do not memorize any new information and do not remember the old information;
- Forget family, friends and known places, not identifying the name or recognizing the face;
- Difficulty understanding what happens around you;
- Have urinary and fecal incontinence;
- Difficulty in swallowing food, may have gagging or take a long time to finish a meal;
- Present inappropriate behaviors, such as burping or spitting on the floor;
- Lose the ability to make simple movements with the arms and legs, such as eating with a spoon;
- Difficulty walking, sitting or getting up, for example.
At this stage, the person may start to lie down or sit all day long and, if nothing is done to prevent this, the tendency is to become increasingly fragile and limited. Thus, you may need to use a wheelchair or even be bedridden, becoming dependent on other people to perform all tasks, such as showering or changing diapers.
How to confirm if it is Alzheimer's
To make the diagnosis of Alzheimer's, you should consult with the geriatrician or neurologist, who can:
- Assess the person's clinical history and observe the signs and symptoms of the disease;
- Indicate the performance of tests such as magnetic resonance, computed tomography and blood tests;
- Take tests of memory and cognition, such as the Mini Mental State Exam, Token test, Clock Test and verbal fluency test.
These assessments can indicate the presence of a memory disorder, in addition to excluding other diseases that can also cause brain disorders, such as depression, stroke, hypothyroidism, HIV, advanced syphilis or other degenerative diseases of the brain such as dementia by Lewy bodies, for example .
If Alzheimer's disease is confirmed, treatment will be indicated with the use of medications to limit the progression of the disease, such as Donepezil, Galantamine or Rivastigmine, for example. See more details about treatment options for Alzheimer's disease.
In addition, activities such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, physical activity and speech therapy are carried out to help maintain independence and the ability to perform activities as long as possible.
Learn more about this disease, how to prevent it and how to care for the person with Alzheimer's:
In our podcast nutritionist Tatiana Zanin, nurse Manuel Reis and physiotherapist Marcelle Pinheiro, clarify the main doubts about food, physical activities, care and prevention of Alzheimer's:
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