Alzheimer’s, a Cause for National Concern

Did you know that the rate of Alzheimer’s and other dementia diseases are as much as five times lower in Sub-Saharan African regions than in the US? Surprisingly, this has more to do with their diet, rather than genetics. The high intake in saturated fat, cholesterol and iron as well as the lower intake of grains makes Americans more vulnerable to Alzheimer’s.

According to statistics released by The Alzheimer’s Association, this disease is the sixth leading cause for death in the Unites States. The number of people suffering from dementia in America has gone up to 5.4 million. This includes people from all age groups. Statistics also revealed that around 5.2 million of these are estimated to be those from the age group of 65 years and above and the remaining 200,000 are under 65 years.

In fact, the most worrying statistics shows that in every 66 seconds someone in the US is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. One out of every nine persons above the age of 65 years has this disease. By 2050, the total number of people suffering from this disease is estimated to reach 13.8 million.

Causes

Though it is believed that Alzheimer’s is caused by complex activities in the brain, like the death of brain cells, the National Institute on Aging mentions in an article that the exact cause(s) of the disease is still not fully understood by science. The cause might include genetic and lifestyle factors. According to studies, the size of the brain shrinks as we age, leaving fewer connections and nerve cells. Scientists have discovered abnormal protein deposits called amyloid plaques in the brains of people with this disease.

Symptoms

Symptoms of this disease are confusing to understand. In fact, even the patient may be unsure of whether he/she is actually unwell. This is because Alzheimer’s leads to many different things. Some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s are similar to regular dementia, and these include:

1) Losing the ability to process and remember new information, like having the same conversations again and forgetting familiar roads.
2) Poor decision-making ability, like not understating safety risks, inability to understand complex tasks or instructions.
3) Deteriorating visual ability, but not because of regular eye problems.
4) Deteriorating communication, reading and writing skills.
5) Personality changes, like social withdrawal and uncharacteristic mood swings.

Stages

Alzheimers.net explains in an article that each person experiences the stages of the disease differently, but the trajectory from the initial stage till the end remains the same.

1) First stage — Not many symptoms are visible.
2) Second stage — Minor symptoms are visible, but still unrecognizable.
3) Third stage — Symptoms would start to show, like inability to find the right words during a conversation. A physician would be able to identify the disease at this stage.
4) Fourth stage — Very evident symptoms, easily recognizable by anyone, like forgetting one’s own life details.
5) Fifth stage — By this stage, the patient would start requiring help from others in their day-to-day activities and forgetting the simplest of things, like their own phone number.
6) Sixth stage — Patients in this stage experience a steep decline in their condition and would require professional care. Major changes in personality are a part of this stage.
7) Seventh stage — It is the final stage, as the patients are in a terminal condition.

Cost of Treatment and Caregivers

Approximately 18.1 billion hours of unpaid services are provided to patients by family members and friends in a year. An average of $15,000 is lost from the annual income of caregivers because of the time they spend in providing care to their loved ones suffering from Alzheimer’s, say experts at Seacrest Village. Moreover, patients often need long-term care from professional caregivers and regular check-ups by doctors. The cost of caring for patients in the US is estimated to reach $236 billion in 2016.

Even though there’s no cure for Alzheimer’s, researchers believe that this disease can be avoided to an extent or delayed by better lifestyle choices.