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Alzheimer's disease causes the brain to shrink and brain cells to eventually die. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia — a gradual decline in memory, thinking, behavior and social skills. These changes affect a person's ability to function.
The five Alzheimer's stages can help you understand what might happen. But it's important to know that these stages are only rough generalizations. The disease is a continuous process. Each person has a different experience with Alzheimer's and its symptoms.
An important part of diagnosing Alzheimer's disease includes being able to explain your symptoms. Input from a close family member or friend about your symptoms and their impact on your daily life helps. Tests of memory and thinking skills also help diagnose Alzheimer's disease.
To diagnose Alzheimer's dementia, healthcare professionals conduct tests to measure memory impairment and other thinking skills. They also judge functional abilities and identify behavior changes. A series of tests can rule out other possible causes of symptoms.
Current Alzheimer's treatments temporarily improve symptoms of memory loss and problems with thinking and reasoning. These Alzheimer's treatments boost the performance of chemicals in the brain that carry information from one brain cell to another. They include cholinesterase inhibitors and the medicine memantine (Namenda).
Managing these symptoms may help people with Alzheimer's disease preserve abilities to perform daily activities and prolong their independence — factors that can improve the overall quality of life. Alzheimer's drugs don't work for everyone and may lose effectiveness over time.
La enfermedad de Alzheimer hace que el cerebro se encoja y que las neuronas cerebrales, a la larga, mueran. La enfermedad de Alzheimer es la causa más común de demencia, un deterioro gradual en la memoria, el pensamiento, el comportamiento y las habilidades sociales.
Alzheimer's disease. This is the most common cause of dementia. Although not all causes of Alzheimer's disease are known, experts do know that a small percentage are related to changes in three genes. These gene changes can be passed down from parent to child.
Alzheimer's disease first affects the part of the brain associated with learning, so early symptoms often include changes in memory, thinking and reasoning skills. As the disease progresses, symptoms become more severe and include confusion, changes in behavior and other challenges.
Young-onset Alzheimer's disease is an uncommon form of dementia that affects people younger than age 65. The condition also is called early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Most people with Alzheimer's are age 65 and older.