Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological disorder that is quite frightening in nature. It has been christened after Alois Alzheimer, a neuropsychiatrist from Germany who first described this disorder in 1907. As per research, almost 1 out of every 10 individuals above the age of 65 is affected by this disorder.

The body organs tend to weaken with age. The brain too, is affected by the ageing process and degenerates with passage of time. Alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia that falls in the category of senile disorders that tend to occur in old age, but in some cases, it may occur before old age as well. A characteristic trait of this disease is dementia syndrome having an undetectable onset and a usually slow but gradually deteriorating course, ceasing in delirium and death.

Diagnosis:

The diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is very difficult and uncertain. One of the major reasons for this is the difficulty in establishing a sure shot presence of the distinctive Alzheimer neuropathology in living patients. Alzheimer’s disease can only be diagnosed when all other potential causes of dementia are not ruled out.

Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease:

The onset of Alzheimer’s disease in the elderly is gradual in nature and involves slow mental degeneration. In some cases, a physical ailment of some other stress factor may be the turning point, but usually the process advances rather slowly making it difficult to diagnose it precisely.

The symptoms of this disorder differ from individual to individual depending on the extent of brain deterioration, the presence of stressors and environmental support.

An individual affected by this disorder gradually withdraws from daily life activities followed by a decline in interest for social activities, hobbies and other interests. The individual begins to show signs of decreased mental alertness, low level of adaptation and decline in the level of tolerance to changes. The individual becomes preoccupied with himself/herself and behaves in a childish manner. Bodily functions such as excretion, digestion and eating become sources of entertainment for the patient.

As the disorder progresses, loss of memory for recent events, clumsiness, incomprehensible speech, confusion, inability to judge, aggressiveness and disorderliness become prominent.

The last stages of the disorder involve a vegetative existence of the individual and ultimately death from some disease that overpowers the patient’s limited defensive sources.