What are the Different Stages of Alzheimer's Disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that simply starts from infrequent memory lapses then to severe neurological deterioration, and eventually to death. It can bring detrimental changes to the brain that sequentially destroy an individual’s ability to reason, to learn, to create and to remember. Furthermore, the destruction of the integral cells leads often lead to personality loss and body system failure.

No Impairment – Stage 1

During the first stage everything is functioning normally. The individual is perfectly healthy with no evidence of memory, reasoning or communication problems.

Minimal Impairment – Stage 2

In the second stage of the disease, the earliest signs of decline are starting to manifest. Affected individuals may begin to have memory lapses like forgetting names, where they placed their car keys and eyeglasses, and other simple stuff and things they do. During medical examination, the problem is not often detected and the symptoms are not yet evident to family and friends.

Mild Cognitive Impairment – Stage 3

During this stage, close friends and family members may start to notice some concentration problems and memory lapses. This is frequently detected through detailed medical interview. Symptoms usually include some inability to name common objects, forgetting names of people, decline in work performance, and increased frequency of misplacing important things.

Mild Alzheimer’s Disease – Stage 4

A medical interview during this stage will often reveal declining memory of past and current events. Affected individuals also show regressing ability to do mental arithmetic and do complex tasks like budgeting. They may also become moody and tend to withdraw from people.

Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease – Stage 5

Occurrence of major memory lapses and deteriorating cognitive functions is often evident. Individuals may need help in doing everyday routines because at this stage their skills and judgement become clouded even in doing simple task like personal care. They also have difficulty in recalling simple yet important informations like telephone numbers and current address. Although their conditions at this stage is turning from bad to worse, patients may still retain knowledge of their own identity, the names of their immediate family members, and they still have the ability to eat and use the toilet without assistance.

Moderately Severe Alzheimer’s Disease – Stage 6

Memory deficiencies continue to deteriorate during this stage. Symptoms include occasional lapses in recalling names of close family members, but they can still distinguish familiar faces. At this stage they usually need assistance in using the bathroom like flushing the toilet or proper disposal of tissue paper. Affected individuals also have greater fecal or urinary incontinence, experiences behavioral or personality changes, and usually tend to wander around and get lost.

 Severe Alzheimer’s Disease - Stage 7

In the final stage of the disease, affected individuals lose their ability to control movement and interact with different people and their environment. They may also lose the ability to speak. They often need assistance not just in eating but also in doing personal habits, since they suffer greatly from urinary incontinence. Basic body functions may shut down such as the ability to walk, sit, smile and even to swallow. Complete care is often needed at this stage.

References

HelpGuide.org: Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Association: Stages of Alzheimer’s