Alzheimers; The Causes And Symptoms Of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease is mainly a brain disorder that involves the deterioration of mental functions. This illness mainly results from the gradual shrinking of brain tissues. This type of brain disorder is also known as dementia or diffuse -brain- atrophy.

- The Causes and Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease

The actual cause of the disease is still unknown but several factors are believed to be responsible in the development of the brain disorder. The lack of neurochemical factors in the nerve cells is also one of the probable causes of this disease.

The genetics and aging problems are considered to be the main causes of Alzheimer's disease. There are approximately nine out of ten thousand people affected with this malady and it is more often in women than in men. The disease primarily occurs in older people over the age of 65. However, there is very little chance for developing Alzheimer's disease through inherited mutated genes.

The most common symptoms of the Alzheimer's are as follows:

Impaired memory and thinking: The person feels difficulty in remembering very common things like his personal information, such as his place of birth or his occupation.

Difficulty in performing familiar tasks: The person with Alzheimer's disease feels to have difficulty in performing his daily tasks i.e. eating, dressing, showering etc. A person who prepares a meal may forget to serve it or even can't remember whether he has prepared it.

Problems with communication: The person gradually feels difficulty in recalling words or understanding the meanings of common words.

Disorientation and confusion: Patients may get lost in his own familiar place. Recognizing familiar places and situations becomes impossible for them. They even can't understand simple commands or follow directions.

Poor and decreased judgment: The person feels difficulty in taking decisions. As the people affected are always in their own state of mind so they may also leave the house on a cold day without any winter garment or they may even go to the market wearing pajamas.

Misplacing and messing up with things: The person affected with A.D. usually forgets where he has kept his daily used things, such as glasses, keys, etc. The person may also mess up with things, such as breaking glasses, damaging house hold goods, etc.

Changes in behavior and personality: Patients have the tendency to swing their moods rapidly. The patients may even feel dramatic changes in their personality and can become fearful, angry, quiet, etc.

Become passive and lose interest: People generally tend to become passive and show no interest in their usual activities. Extra encouragement is required to make them become active.

Problems with abstract thinking: The person with Alzheimer's disease loves to spend lots of time alone in some lonely place and shows less interest in interacting with other members of the family. They sometimes show symptoms of abstract thinking and also even feel difficulty in recognizing numbers or understanding what to do with them.

Brain Imaging Model Accurately Identifies Alzheimer's

New Technique Helps Distinguish Alzheimer's From Other Types of Dementia March 31, 2008, New York - The use of a brain imaging technique that measures sugar metabolism within a critical area of the brain could play an important role in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

According to Dr. Lisa Mosconi and her colleague Mony De Leon, both of New York University's Center for Brain Health, the imaging technique has 94% accuracy in distinguishing Alzheimer's disease from other dementias. It was also able to identify brain patterns associated with very early cognitive decline.

"Because the incidence of (Alzheimer's and related disorders) is expected to increase dramatically as the baby boomer generation ages, accurate diagnosis is extremely important, particularly at the early and mild stages of dementia when lifestyle changes and therapeutic interventions would be most effective," Mosconi says.

Mosconi and De Leon developed the brain scan-based computer program after identifying key changes early in the course of Alzheimer's disease in the part of the brain known as the hippocampus. They discovered that the hippocampus, which is associated with learning and memory, metabolizes glucose less efficiently as dementia progresses. Glucose is necessary for the proper functioning of the brain.

With the use of positron emission tomography (PET), the researchers were able to focus on the glucose consumption patterns within the hippocampus. They were also able to identify specific images associated with normal brain function, mild cognitive impairment, and different types of dementia including Alzheimer's.

The study that appeared in the March issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine included 548 people examined separately at seven different research centers. The participants, who were mostly in their 60's and 70's, confirmed through a battery of neurological and psychological tests that they had no evidence of cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, or dementia due to other causes.

The patients were injected with the radioactive isotope FDG, which mimicked glucose once it entered the body. After about 30 minutes, researchers began taking pictures of the brain using PET imaging, and the images were later analyzed using the computer program developed at NYU.

Comparison of images of the cerebral cortex at the brain's surface to those of the hippocampus deep within the brain allowed researchers to accurately distinguish between patients with normal brain function and those with specific dementias, including Alzheimer's.

The technique could also predict which type of dementia a person with mild cognitive impairment would have in the future.

Mosconi and colleagues are now in the process of evaluating follow-up data to determine the accuracy of the imaging technique at predicting their clinical course. Their next step is to bring the imaging technique outside the clinical trials setting.

According to Dr. Sandy McEwan, president of the Society for Nuclear Medicine, the NYU research represents a potentially seminal advance in the use of imaging for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's and other dementias.

Since the imaging was conducted at different research centers within the United States and Europe, there's a possibility that the technique is reproducible in the clinical setting.

HIV Targets Senior Citizens

Entering her second year as a widow, my dear friend Rachael was past the several stages of grief and closing that chapter of her life; not an easy task but necessary for anyone who has survival instincts. She began dating again and I couldn't have been happier for her. Sam was like a brother in a sense; a long time friend from our college days. At first it was dinner and theater tickets but soon developed into weekends at his Lake house.

Post menopausal, it didn't occur to Rachael to consider condoms. And in retrospect, she would not have asked Sam about his sexual activities - there were things our generation didn't talk about. Therefore when her physician put her through a battery of tests because of her complaints regarding sudden weight loss and fatigue, she was shocked when she tested positive for HIV.

How does this happen at age 64, she wanted to know. But it's a fact: anyone can get HIV/AIDS regardless of age from having unprotected sex, or sharing needles with an infected person. Latex condoms can help prevent, but not insure an infected person from transferring the virus to another. Because she did not know her partner's drug and/or sexual history, she was at risk!

Best friends since high school Rachael confided in me. We decided to do an in-depth study of patients 55 years and older with HIV/AIDS. But we were immediately at a disadvantage because many, or should we say most, older people often mistake signs of this virus for the normal aging complaints -- exactly as Rachael had and they are less likely to get tested. Besides, what patient in their senior years wants to discuss their sexual activity with a physician that's probably half their age? Not!

We soon realized the myths and misconceptions regarding all elderly citizens help put the barriers in the way of diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS. It is still assumed that old people live a life of celibacy and sobriety. Unfortunately, senior adults do not always conform to public images any more than teens do. Adding to this the doctor's "Don't ask, don't tell" posture and we're at an impasse.

Statistics do confirm that older women are becoming infected at a higher rate than older men. Without the fear of pregnancy, the post-menopausal woman who is uninformed of the dangers may become more sexually active with more partners. Even her biology increases her risk as the vaginal walls thin and lubrication decreases; thus, the membranes are more likely to tear during intercourse, providing access for the virus.

But whatever the reasons... failure to communicate leads to failure of diagnosis in its early, most treatable stages. In many ways, HIV and old age converge and aggravate each other rather than conflict. For instance, memory loss may indicate AIDS-related dementia or Alzheimer's disease. This distinction is important because dementia can be reversed; Alzheimer's cannot.

As if the social isolation among senior citizens who have lost a spouse is not enough, it is multiplied many times over if their families realize they have HIV/AIDS. Shamefully, this virus entered a society already having little respect for its seniors. Most adult children lack the patience, and precious few want the burden of caring for their parents in their final years.

While it is common knowledge that the face of AIDS is changing with the greater proportion being people of color, women, children and heterosexuals -- what we never hear is that the face is also aging.

Being a Primary Carer for a relative with Alzheimer's disease - The Long Goodbye

I am a Carer". There you go, "straight off the bat" as they say, I write this article (the first in a series) in my role as a Primary Carer first and author second. At present I am the primary carer for my elderly mother who is suffering from the advance stages of Alzheimer's disease. It is desperately cruel disease (most are, I know) in that it robs people (by and large) of their dignity and their independence at a stage in life when they need it most.

In the United Kingdom, the Alzheimer's Society claimed in a recent survey that over 750,000 people suffered from Alzheimer's and related dementia problems. In the United States it is calculated that an estimated 4.5 million people suffer from Alzheimer's and that this figure has doubled since 1980.

Further alarming statistics highlight the fact that it is possible that in the US alone, the number of people suffering from Alzheimer's could more than double to between 11.5 and 13 million sufferers by 2050.

Alzheimer's disease is what is described as a progressive disorder of the brain that gradually destroys a persons' memory, ability to learn, reason, make judgements, communicate and carry out daily activities. As the disease progresses, sufferers may also experience changes in their personality and display such behavioural changes ranging from anxiety, agitation or suspicion right up to and / or including delusions and hallucinations

Although there is currently no cure for Alzheimer's, new treatments are on the horizon as a result of accelerating insight into the biology of the disease. Research has also shown that effective care and support can improve quality of life for individuals and their caregivers over the course of the disease from diagnosis to the end of life.

Considering the long term implications for Alzheimer's sufferers, the hidden sociological impact will in reality be born on the shoulders of those who will be caring for the sufferers for it is indeed a bittersweet irony that those who care for the sufferers in reality suffer more than the sufferers do themselves.

This fact in itself has been largely responsible for another survey finding recently and that was the fact that Americans are equally afraid of caring for someone who has Alzheimer's as much as they are of developing the disease themselves. Approximately 1 in 2 American adults are more apprehensive of caring for partner or loved one who has developed Alzheimer's. Just less than 1 in 5 American adults have indicated that they are more afraid of getting the disease themselves (17%).

The real problem from a carer's perspective is that no two people experience Alzheimer's disease in the same way. As a result, there's no one approach to care giving. Your care giving responsibilities can range from making financial decisions, managing changes in behaviour, to helping a loved one get dressed in the morning.

Handling these duties is hard work. But by learning care giving skills, you can make sure that your loved one feels supported and is living a full life. You can also ensure that you are taking steps to preserve your own well-being.

Caring for someone who has Alzheimer's disease or another illness involving dementia can be very difficult, time-consuming, and stressful - (serious understatement here). Here are some more things a care giver can do to help the person with Alzheimer's disease while also reducing the substantial burden that comes with care giving:

* Stay Informed - Knowledge equals power. The more you know about Alzheimer's disease or any other signs of dementia, the better you can prepare yourself to deal with problems that may arise.

* Share concerns with the person - A person who is mildly to moderately impaired can assist in his/her own care. Memory aides and other strategies can be created by the person with dementia and the caregiver together. This is easier said than done I know but you have to give it a try. But, and this is a big but (no laughs here please) it is essential that you realise that you are probably dealing with a person who if they have any cognisance at all, will be in denial.

* Solve problems one at a time - A multitude of problems may occur that may seem insurmountable at the time. Work on one specific problem at a time -- you do not have to solve every problem all at once. As the saying goes "Success by the inch is a cinch, by the yard it's hard" and in this case this has never been more true.

* Use your imagination - One of the keys to handling this disease is your ability to adapt. If something can't be done one way, try another. For example, if the person only uses his or her fingers for eating, do not keep fighting; just serve as many finger foods as possible!

* Establish an environment that encourages freedom and activity within limits Try to create a stable, balanced schedule for meals, medication, etc. but also encourage activities that the patient can handle such as taking a walk or visiting an old friend. Remember, the person with AD is not the only one whose needs must be taken into consideration. You as a caregiver have needs and desires that must also be met. First, try and find some time for yourself. Even though this suggestion may seem like an impossibility, find some time during the week where you can have someone else watch the patient -- be it a relative, friend, or neighbour -- and do something for yourself.

* Avoid social isolation - Keep up contacts with friends and relatives. It's easy to get burned out when it seems like you have no one to turn to. Another way to establish contacts is by joining the Alzheimer's Association or other such support groups. Talking with other families who share many of the very same problems can be reassuring as it helps you know you are not alone in your round-the-clock struggles.

Heavy Metal Anchor Alzheimer's In Your Brain

Heavy metals and aluminum are in every part of our environment and food. These elements are deadly and you will benefit if you are aware of what they do where they come from.

Brain tissue has an attraction for heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and others. When heavy metals appear in the brain they can interfere with your natural brain chemistry. This interference, overtime, can accelerate the onset of dementia or Alzheimer's.

Aluminum is an element that has been associated with Alzheimer's. Aluminum has been found in high levels in people's brain that have died of Alzheimer's. The evidence points to aluminum been involved with Alzheimer's.

There is a lot of controversy about whether aluminum can bring on Alzheimer's. But because the Aluminum Industry is so powerful, it has blocked and campaigned against any reports that point to aluminum's involvement in dementia or Alzheimer's.

Here is a list of products that contain aluminum:

Antacids, aluminum wrap, pans, pot, rice cookers, small oven trays, soft drink cans, various food cans, toothpaste tubes, water, roll on deodorants,

Here is what heavy metals do:

Lead - makes you aggressive and hyperactive

Cadmium - makes you confused and aggressive

Mercury - gives you headaches, causes memory loss

Aluminum - is associated with dementia and Alzheirmer's

Heavy metals come from air pollution, smoking, pestricides, fillings,.

Be aware of how heavy metals and aluminum get into your body, since they will end up in your brain and accumulate along your artery walls with cholesterol. Having loss of memory and other mental abilities is not result of aging. It is a result of poor diet and excess consumption of pollution and toxins.

Here is how to minimize heavy metal damage. Take a good electrolytic mineral supplement or eat a lot of fruits and vegetables since they contain a lot of minerals.

The good minerals compete to get absorb in your intestines with the heavy metals. Good minerals will get absorbed leaving behind the heavy metals. These heavy metals will then be excreted out of your body.

Also drinking a lemon and chlorophyll drink is helpful. Chlorophyll attaches to heavy metals and help to remove them from your body. Drink this every morning. Here's how to make this drink. Combine juice of one lemon, 8 oz of distilled water, and 1-2 oz of chlorophyll.