Alzheimer’s disease is the number one cause of dementia. In 2019, Thailand had approximately 670,000 dementia patients and it is expected to increase to 2,390,000 by 2050. Dementia not only makes patients unable to help themselves in their daily lives. But also causes caregivers to devote a lot of time, energy, encouragement, and money to help their loved ones live happily in their later years. Because there is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
What causes Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is caused by the accumulation of two types of bad proteins called ‘amyloid’ and ‘Tow’ in the brain tissue of patients. When these two types of proteins accumulate more and more. Brain cells die, causing the volume of brain tissue to decrease. When a certain level of brain cells die, brain function will slowly decline until it eventually enters a state of dementia.
Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease
There are many symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, such as memory loss. Which is often a leading symptom before other symptoms appear. Relatives or close friends may notice that the patient forgets words, forgets events that have happened in the past 2-3 days. May ask the same questions repeatedly or tell old stories repeatedly. Later symptoms include reduced attention, reduced ability to make decisions or solve problems in daily life, reduced speech, less understanding of language, loss of direction. Reduced ability to socialize. Some patients may have mood or behavior changes, such as being more irritated, depressed, bored, lethargic, or delusional. Such as thinking that someone else has stolen their things.
How to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease
There are five main types of Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis:
- Interview or take a detailed history of the patient and relatives, emphasizing any changes that have occurred in the patient.
- Neurological physical examination
- Check by taking a brain ability test.
- Blood test to find the cause of dementia
- Brain imaging, which is currently recommended with an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), is an examination using magnetic waves.
All 5 of these examination methods must be done together by a neurologist, psychiatrist, or medical doctor who specializes in treating Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. When all 5 examinations are completed, the doctor will summarize the examination results for the patient and relatives to know the accurate diagnosis.
Alzheimer’s disease treatment
Treatment of Alzheimer’s disease consists of medication and non-drug use, which should be done together. Medications focus on adjusting neurotransmitters and chemicals in the brain, which mainly treat symptoms, causing the patient’s brain ability to deteriorate more slowly. And dependence on others to decrease. Non-drug treatments include brain training, group activities, computer programs for brain training, psychotherapy, playing games, doing handicrafts, art therapy, music therapy. And writing daily life records. These activities will help support the patient’s brain ability to deteriorate more slowly.
Since 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved a new class of drugs. Call Anti Amyloid Antibodies, for Alzheimer’s patients, which can slow down the progression of the disease by 27-35 percent compared to those who do not receive the drug. This new class of drugs may lead to significantly longer lives for patients. This type of drug is planned to be imported into Thailand in 2025-2026.
Although there is currently no food, medicine or anything else that is definitely effective in preventing Alzheimer’s disease. However, lifestyle improvements such as diet adjustments, effective treatment of comorbidities, exercise. And systematic brain training can delay the onset of symptoms in Alzheimer’s patients.
Alzheimer’s disease can be diagnosed before symptoms appear or with only minor symptoms by sending for special tests, namely testing the levels of amyloid and tau proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid or a PET scan. In addition, there are tests for amyloid and tau proteins in the blood, which are less expensive and more convenient. Just drawing blood can help screen for Alzheimer’s disease initially, which will lead to treatment and delaying the progression of the disease in a timely manner. Patients and relatives have the opportunity to plan for the future from the early stages of the disease.
If you see an elderly person with these symptoms, there is a chance that they have Alzheimer’s.
It is noticeable that the science of Alzheimer’s and dementia has progressed rapidly. In the near future, Alzheimer’s disease will be a disease. That can be cured if you or your loved one have the following characteristics.
- Forgetfulness, decreased memory
- Slow thinking, short attention span, reduced attention span
- Decreased decision-making and problem-solving abilities
- Lost, speechless, unable to think of words, unable to understand sentences
- Behavioral changes, decreased social abilities
If you suspect that you may have Alzheimer’s disease, dementia from other causes, want to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms appear or have only minor symptoms, or want to prevent yourself or someone close to you from having dementia, you can consult a specialist in memory, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia at the Neurology ยูฟ่าเบท https://ufabet999.app, because early detection and treatment will help slow down the progression of the disease or brain deterioration.