Clinical Features of Alzheimer's Disease

Clinical Features of Alzheimer's Disease
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The clinical features of Alzheimer’s disease are categorized and come out in the patient in different stages. None of the symptoms for features come out all at once. The brain degenerates over time, giving you more time between symptoms. The clinical features should be watched closely to find out if the disease has progressed in the individual. Alzheimer’s disease is the most diagnosed form of dementia that is out there. There is no known cure, and there is no form of medicine to slow down the degeneration of the brain.

Memory Loss

This is the number one clinical feature that will be seen first. It might just start out at misplacing a few things or perhaps forgetting an important date. It will progress into forgetting a lot more than smaller things. Eventually, a person with Alzheimer’s disease will ultimately forget who they are, or who their family members are even if they are close. Aphasia, disorientation, and disinhibition are often seen in the later stages as well. The later stages are when it starts to become tough for the family who is involved. The person may not know you, or anything from the past that might have happened before.

You will want to keep car keys out of their reach towards the progression of this disease, and make sure the doors are locked. A lot of Alzheimer’s patients feel the need to take a stroll when they are left unattended. This can be dangerous for the patient who may not realize what they are doing or where they are going.

Deterioration of Muscles

This is when the deterioration comes into play since you will ultimately lose parts of your brain as the disease continues throughout the brain. This makes them bedridden, they are not able to feed themselves, and they have incontinence. This is when the disease has become very severe. This is only seen if death from an outside cause does not intervene with the disease. A large number of Alzheimer’s cases do not make it this far due to outside sources. Speech and language will start to fail around this time as well.

In this ending stage, the brain has come to a point where the degeneration has taken the vital points needed to feed, cloth, bath, walk, talk, and do many everyday normal activities. This is when you might want to look into means of relaxing them, taking care of their needs, and soothing them until the disease takes them all together.

The duration of this disease usually is 7-10 years. It can also reach the final stage at 4-5 years or even 12-14 years depending on the particular person or case. The disease has been known to degenerate faster in some patients than others.

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10653284

https://my.telegraph.co.uk/psychologist/psychologist/15448770/alzheimers-disease-clinical-features-diagnoses-and-treatment/