10 Essential Facts About Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
Dementia is a symptom that can be found in various diseases of the brain. The most common feature of dementia is memory loss, particularly difficulty in remembering recent events. Other symptoms may include changes in behavior, mood, and personality, as well as getting lost in familiar places or struggling to find the right words in conversations. In severe cases, individuals may even forget to eat or drink.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent cause of dementia. However, there are other forms of dementia such as vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson’s disease dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and the newly discovered Late.
The early signs of Alzheimer’s disease are often memory lapses. This could include forgetting recent conversations, misplacing items, struggling with names, or repeatedly asking the same question. Mood changes, like increased anxiety or confusion, may also be observed.
Alzheimer’s is primarily a disease that affects older individuals, with one in six people over the age of 80 developing it. However, early-onset Alzheimer’s, which refers to cases found in individuals under 65, does occur in about 5% of all cases.
A smaller number of people, usually between the ages of 30 and 40, are affected by Alzheimer’s due to a faulty gene passed down through generations. However, this is relatively rare.
The term “brain fog” is often used to describe symptoms such as a fuzzy head, lack of concentration, and difficulty in thinking clearly or quickly. While it does not have a specific medical definition, it is a common way people describe these cognitive difficulties.
While there is no proven way to prevent dementia, certain lifestyle factors can tip the odds in your favor. These include seeking treatment for hearing loss, spending more time in education, quitting smoking, seeking early treatment for depression, being physically active, avoiding social isolation, avoiding high blood pressure, avoiding obesity, and not developing type 2 diabetes. Although it is not entirely clear why these factors help protect the brain, they may increase the brain’s wiring and flexibility, allowing it to compensate for the loss of neurons.
Alzheimer’s disease has a hereditary component, which means having a parent or sibling with the disease increases your risk. However, it does not guarantee that you will develop it, and conversely, not having a family history of Alzheimer’s does not guarantee that you won’t develop it.
Fiona Phillips, a well-known figure, is involved in trials of a drug called miridesap at University College Hospital in London. This drug aims to remove a protein called SAP from the brain and prevent amyloid plaques from damaging brain cells. The trial involves daily injections into the stomach for up to 12 months.
Promising drugs like donanemab and lecanemab have shown the ability to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in clinical trials. These drugs target amyloid in the brain during the early stages of the disease, though they do not stop or reverse it entirely.
In conclusion, dementia is a complex symptom that can manifest in various diseases of the brain. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, and while there is no proven way to prevent it, certain lifestyle factors can reduce the risk. Ongoing research and clinical trials offer hope for better treatment options in the future.
Summary:
Dementia is a symptom found in many brain diseases, with Alzheimer’s being the most common cause. Memory loss is a prominent feature of dementia, along with various behavioral and cognitive changes. While there is no certain method to prevent dementia, lifestyle factors can contribute to reducing the risk. Additionally, ongoing research on drugs such as miridesap, donanemab, and lecanemab shows promise in slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
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He was just 61 years old when he was diagnosed with this form of dementia.
Is dementia the same as Alzheimer’s?
No, dementia is a symptom found in many diseases of the brain.
Memory loss is the most common feature of dementia, particularly difficulty remembering recent events.
Other symptoms may include changes in behavior, mood, and personality, getting lost in familiar places, or not being able to find the right word in a conversation.
It can get to the point where people don’t know they need to eat or drink.
Alzheimer’s disease is by far the most common of the diseases that cause dementia.
Others include vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson’s disease dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and the newly discovered Late.
What are the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease?
The first signs of Alzheimer’s disease tend to be memory lapses.
This could include forgetting recent conversations, losing things, forgetting names, or asking the same question over and over again.
There may also be mood changes such as increased levels of anxiety or confusion.
Do many young people have Alzheimer’s?
Alzheimer’s is primarily a disease of old age: one in six people over the age of 80 develop it.
Early-onset (also known as young-onset) Alzheimer’s is relatively rare. Still, 5% of all Alzheimer’s cases are found in people under the age of 65.
A much smaller number of people are affected between the ages of 30 and 40, usually due to a faulty gene that is passed down through the generations.
The only known risk factor for getting Alzheimer’s disease at a young age is if close relatives also had early-onset disease, and there is there is no known way to prevent it.
The early-onset form of the disease follows the same inexorable course as in old age: it affects memory, thinking skills, and behavior.
What is brain fog?
Fiona Phillips mentioned that she had lived with months of brain fog before her diagnosis.
Brain fog doesn’t have a medical definition, but people often use it to describe a fuzzy head, lack of concentration, and trouble thinking clearly or quickly.
Can I avoid having dementia?
There’s no proven way to prevent dementia, but you can tip the odds in your favor.
- hearing loss treatment in middle age
- spend more time in education
- give up smoking
- seeking early treatment for depression
- be physically active
- avoiding social isolation
- avoiding high blood pressure
- not become obese
- not develop type 2 diabetes
It’s not entirely clear why doing these things can help protect the brain.
Do these lifestyle factors really stop the dementia process in the brain? Or do they prepare the brain for dementia by increasing the brain’s wiring and flexibility so that as neurons begin to die, the brain can compensate longer and symptoms don’t arise?
You can do everything recommended to try to prevent dementia and still get it, or do nothing and not get it.
Is Alzheimer’s hereditary?
Yes, it can be, but that’s not the whole story.
Fiona Phillips has described how Alzheimer’s “decimated” her family, and having a parent or sibling with Alzheimer’s increases your risk of developing the disease.
But having relatives with the disease doesn’t mean you’re destined to develop it, and being in a family that hasn’t been affected by Alzheimer’s doesn’t mean you’ll be free of it, either.
What drug is Fiona Phillips taking?
She is involved in trials of a drug called miridesap at University College Hospital in London. This involves injections into the stomach every day for up to 12 months.
The aim of the trial is to find out if the drug, which removes a protein called SAP (serum amyloid component P) from the brain, can prevent amyloid plaques from damaging brain cells.
The researchers believe this could be part of the development process of Alzheimer’s disease.
Patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease are still being recruited for the ruthless trialwhich also includes tests on brain function.
Has there been good news about other drugs?
Yes. For the first time, the drugs have been shown to slow the rate of Alzheimer’s disease in clinical trials.
Donanemab and lecanemab target amyloid in the brain during the early stages of the disease.
Amyloid accumulates in the spaces between brain cells, forming plaques that are one of the hallmarks of the disease.
However, the benefit of these drugs does not appear to be huge and they do not stop or reverse the disease, but they do show that it is possible to slow it down.
These drugs have not yet made the leap from scientific studies to routine hospital use.
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