Alzheimer's Disease

Overview

Alzheimer's disease is a chronic disorder that causes brain cells to degenerate and eventually die. It affects the patient's behaviour, social skills, ability to think and ability to perform activities of daily living independently.

Signs and Symptoms

Memory loss, Difficulty thinking and concentrating, Decline in ability to make judgements and decisions in everyday situations, Forgetting how to perform simple tasks like bathing and dressing, Changes in behaviour and personality such as delusions and mood swings

Common Causes

Amyloid protein plaques in the brain can be toxic and disrupts the work of neurons, Tau proteins change shape and form tangles that have toxic effects in neurons and affect neuronal function

Risk Factors

Increasing age, Women are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, Family history of Alzheimer's disease, Previous head injury, Down syndrome, Cognitive impairment, Poor sleeping habits, High blood pressure, High cholesterol, Diabetes, Obesity, Lack of physical activity, Unhealthy diet, Smoking, Low education level

Investigation Techniques

Physical and neurological examination, Mini mental state examination, Blood tests to rule out potential causes of memory problems, Computerised tomography (CT) scan of the brain, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, Flurodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) scan, Amyloid PET imaging, Tau PET imaging

Treatment and Prevention

Lifestyle changes, Medications such as cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine, Supplements like omega-3 fatty acids and gingko, Creating a living environment that fulfills the needs of an Alzheimer's patient such as installing handrails in bathrooms and using calendar to track daily schedules