Maybe one day you will find that the memories of the people you care about the most are quietly "stolen", they may forget the way home, forget the person they love the most, and even forget to eat and sleep, and this "thief" is Alzheimer's disease.

The stock copyright picture, reprinting and using may cause copyright disputes

What is Alzheimer's disease?

Alzheimer's disease is a disease in which the brain is degenerative (progressively atrophied).It is the main cause of cognitive disease (dementia) in the elderly, commonly known as senile dementia.

Its true etiology and pathological mechanism are not yet clear, and there are two classical pathologies and hypotheses:

One is the hypothesis of β-starch "like" protein deposition and the other is the hypothesis of aberrant phosphorylated Tau protein, and most of these pathological changes occur more than 10 years before dementia.

Is there a way to be able to go before dementia? to find out if the patient has the disease? The answer is: Yes!

Tests such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and PET-CT are now available, and some simple neuropsychological and behavioral assessments, as well as hematological tests, can also indicate whether a patient has senile dementia before they become demented.

It should be noted that although senile dementia is more common in the elderly, butThere are also patients with adult and even young age onset.

Therefore, early detection and early intervention are very important

Risk factors for Alzheimer's disease

Most of them can be changed

There are many risk factors that cause or contribute to Alzheimer's disease, and a small number of them cannot be changed, and we accept it calmly; There is still a lot that can be changed, and we must seriously change it.

Currently, there are 12 risk factors for which there is sufficient evidence:

1. Lack of exercise

2. Smoke inhalation

3. Alcoholism

4. Air pollution

5. Brain injury

6. Lack of social interaction

7. Lack of education

8. Obesity

9. High blood pressure

10. Diabetes

11. Depression

12. Hearing impairment

in other wordsActive lifestyle interventions can reduce the incidence of disease by at least one-third.

These changes occur in the body

Be alert for Alzheimer's disease

In the non-dementia stage of Alzheimer's disease, there are many early manifestations of the patient.

It mainly focuses on the changes in cognitive functions such as memory, orientation, language comprehension and expression, as well as the changes in psychological behaviors such as anxiety and depression, emotional apathy and significant changes in personalityHere are the 10 common phenomena:

1. Memory loss

2. Poor work of familiarity

3. Decreased language ability

4. I can't figure out the time and place

5. Impaired thinking and judgment

6. It is difficult to grasp the progress of work

7. Stuff is misplaced

8. Changes in mood and behavior

9. Difficulty understanding visual and spatial information

10. Withdrawing from work or social activities

There are different stages of Alzheimer's disease

What are the physical manifestations?

1

Early stages of dementia in old age

It is mainly manifested by memory loss, forgetfulness, inability to remember what happened in the last few days, forgetting all the things experienced in the past, accompanied by progressive deterioration of judgment, analytical ability and execution, and difficulty in dealing with complex problems.

2

Mid-term dementia in old age

It is manifested as a more obvious decline in various abilities, a decrease in visuospatial ability, a further obvious language disorder, aphasia, superficial and changeable emotions, depression, apathy or irritability, irritability, etc., and impairment of daily living ability.

3

Late dementia in old age

The patient has basically lost all abilities, severe memory loss, only fragmentary memory, inability to take care of himself in daily life, accompanied by incontinence, stiffness of limbs, or basically unable to make any sound.

Do this 2 well

Prevent Alzheimer's disease

While new drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease have been shown to slow disease progression, Alzheimer's disease is still irreversible and cannot be cured, so prevention is especially important.

International guidelines for evidence-based prevention of Alzheimer's disease show that the following can delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease in 40% of cases:

1

Maintain a healthy lifestyle

Avoid obesity in young and middle-aged years, and do not be too thin in old age (65 years old and above).

Get as much education as you can in your early years; Engage in more mental activities; Insist on regular physical activity; Don't smoke and avoid secondhand smoke.

Get a good night's sleep and seek medical attention if you have sleep problems.

2

Avoid diseases that increase your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease

1) Patients with diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension should control the relevant indicators, as these diseases will damage cognitive function and increase the risk of dementia.

2) Protect the head from trauma; Maintain mental health and closely monitor cognitive function for people with depression.

3) Avoid cerebrovascular disease and closely monitor cognitive function in stroke patients; To maintain cardiovascular health, patients with atrial fibrillation should be treated aggressively.

4) Regularly test blood homocysteine, and patients with hyperhomocysteinemia should be actively treated.

In addition, it is important to maintain a strong body and closely monitor cognitive function in frail people; Relax your mind and avoid excessive tension; Dietary intake or additional vitamin C supplementation.

ButAcetylcholinesterase inhibitors, the treatment for the disease, are not recommended to prevent Alzheimer's disease.

Estrogen replacement is also not recommended for Alzheimer's disease prevention in postmenopausal women.

Suffering from Alzheimer's disease

How is it treated?

At present, drug treatment is mainly symptomatic, and the onset of action is slow and the effect is not ideal. However, there are already drugs for the cause of the disease on the market abroad, and they are being actively introduced in China.

1

Symptomatic treatment

Drugs that delay the progression of dementia and drugs that target psychiatric and behavioural symptoms are recommended to be evaluated by a specialist to determine whether additional medication is needed, rather than self-medication.

2

Rehabilitation

Elderly patients with dementia can be targeted for daily ability exercise to improve their daily living ability, such as memory training, intelligence training, sense of orientation training, etc.