Alzheimer’s disease is a serious neurological disorder. It’s a type of dementia — a general term used to describe memory loss, inability to carry on a conversation, and loss of other cognitive abilities that interfere with daily functions. It’s a progressive neurological illness that causes the eventual death of brain cells. It also causes brain atrophy or shrinkage.

Early warning signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s

• serious memory loss that interrupts day-to-day functions and abilities

• frequent mood shifts and personality changes

• problems with language and abstract thinking

• inability to perform familiar tasks

• disorientation and impaired judgment

• difficulty in walking and swallowing

What causes Alzheimer’s?

What causes Alzheimer’s disease in most people hasn’t been fully understood by scientists. A patient’s lifestyle, environment, genetic makeup, and age-related changes in the brain could be some of the causative factors.

Any one of these contributing elements determines the severity of Alzheimer’s disease. The risks and symptoms may be different from person to person.

Is Alzheimer’s disease curable?

Like most psychological and neurological diseases, there is currently no available cure yet for Alzheimer’s disease.  Once a person gets it and starts showing indications and symptoms, Alzheimer’s  progresses over time and will get more severe.

There are no available treatments yet that can bring about complete reversal or stoppage of the disease.

However, some medications can slow down the progression, or ease some of the symptoms.

Treatments may include taking the prescribed medicine and undergoing appropriate therapy. Some tips may help prevent Alzheimer’s which include:

• Constant reading and other mentally stimulating activities can help the brain stay active.

• Regular exercise and eating a well-balanced diet may help lower the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, and obesity.

Average Life expectancy

Life expectancy for people with Alzheimer’s disease varies for every individual.

The average life expectancy after having been diagnosed is eight to 10 years. In some patients, they live as short as three years or can live as long as 20 years.

Alzheimer’s disease can go undetected for many years and therefore, undiagnosed. In such cases, the average length of time between when the symptoms begin to manifest and when an AD diagnosis is finally made is 2.8 years.