Often people do not notice the development of Alzheimer’s disease in their loved one. This is due to the fact that the first sign is a violation of short-term memory, while the events of bygone days the patient can describe in precise detail. Aleksey Tappakhov, candidate of medical sciences, head of the Center for Brain and Neurogenetics of the Republican Hospital No. 1 – National Center of Medicine, told YSIA about what symptoms of Alzheimer’s should be paid attention to by relatives and how to slow down the development of the disease.
Alzheimer’s incidence statistics in Yakutia
– According to official statistics, only 45 cases of Alzheimer’s disease have been diagnosed in Yakutia. However, this is not due to the fact that Alzheimer’s is a rare disease in our region. The fact is that patients with this pathology either seek medical help very late at the stage of severe dementia, or do not come to specialists at all, reducing the existing complaints to the course of natural aging.
Unfortunately, this situation is observed throughout the country. As shown by large epidemiological studies, dementia occurs with fairly uniform frequency throughout the world. And Alzheimer’s disease is the cause of dementia in 60-70% of cases. Therefore, if we bring the world prevalence to our republic, then the expected number of patients with Alzheimer’s disease should be at least six thousand people.
Symptoms of the development of Alzheimer’s disease
– For many, dementia and Alzheimer’s are synonymous, but in fact they are not. With dementia, a person cannot “cope” with his life: he loses professional skills, and in later stages, everyday skills. Dementia can result from a variety of organic brain lesions, including trauma, stroke, and toxic effects. And Alzheimer’s disease is one of the reasons why dementia develops.
Alzheimer’s disease belongs to a group of neurodegenerative diseases in which there is a progressive death of neurons. The basis of the development of Alzheimer’s disease is primarily a decrease in the volume of the hippocampus – the part of the brain that is responsible for human memory. He becomes distracted, forgets those events that happened recently. However, patients perfectly remember the past: the names of childhood friends, events and dates. Relatives are sure that since a loved one remembers the past well, then everything is in order. This, on the contrary, should alert.
Further progression of the disease leads to the fact that patients begin to forget the names of objects that are rarely used in everyday life. At an early stage, people perform their daily duties, they may even carry out professional activities.
At later stages, visual-spatial disturbances are observed – a person has difficulty orienting himself in familiar places. The patient, due to cognitive impairment, cannot cook his own food and wash his clothes. Unfortunately, it is at this stage that relatives seek medical help, and this occurs 5–10 years after the onset of the disease.
Risk and protective factors
Old age is a major risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease. It is usually found in people over 65 years of age, but there is also early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, when symptoms are found in younger people.
An important role in the development of the disease is played by external risk factors: high blood pressure and high cholesterol, smoking and mild traumatic brain injury. That is why it is important to take prescribed medications regularly.
The risk increases if parents or siblings are diagnosed with the disease. Fortunately, familial forms account for only 5-10% of the total number of cases. But even if there is a genetic predisposition, prompt medical attention and lifestyle changes can greatly slow down the development of Alzheimer’s.
The most important factor in protecting against Alzheimer’s disease and many other dementias is cognitive load. Education for more than 15 years is already able to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by half.
Of course, it is necessary not only to have a higher education, but also to constantly reinforce the brain with new knowledge. The same effect is observed in individuals with a high level of physical activity. Passion for art, social activity, use of computers and other gadgets in old age can also reduce the risk of developing the disease.
What Happens to the Human Brain in Alzheimer’s Disease
– Memory disorders are associated with a decrease in the number of cells in the hippocampus, which is located under the cerebral cortex. In turn, the death of neurons occurs due to the accumulation of abnormal proteins – beta-amyloid and tau-protein. The functions of neurons are to generate and transmit nerve impulses, process and store incoming information.
Photo: Alexey Tappakhov
It should be said that to date, the exact mechanisms of the development of Alzheimer’s disease have not yet been established.
How to slow down the development of Alzheimer’s
Unfortunately, Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that currently cannot be stopped. However, the correct lifestyle and timely prescribed treatment can slow down the process of neurodegeneration for many years and reduce the severity of existing symptoms.
Recall that help families of people with dementia, in Yakutia, since 2021, the project “School of Home Care” ANO “Long Live” has been operating. Together with specialists from the Republican Clinical Hospital No. 3, a team of a public organization conducts training for relatives of patients with dementia.
“In developed countries, they began to focus not on the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, but on its prevention.
I really like that people in old age continue their education in the school of the third age. Mastering new technologies develops cognitive abilities. For cognitive well-being, mental activity and physical activity should be along with medication.
I would advise you to pay attention to the cognitive functions of an elderly relative: attention, perception, memory, thinking, speech. If there are hints that a loved one does not remember new information well, you should immediately contact a neurologist, preferably a specialist who deals with cognitive impairment, ”said Alexei Tappakhov.