Alzheimer's Disease

 Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer’s disease causes a decline in memory, thinking, learning and organizing skills over time. It’s the most common cause of dementia and usually affects people over the age of 65. There’s no cure for Alzheimer’s, but certain medications and therapies can help manage symptoms temporarily.

Causes

Alzheimer's disease is thought to be caused by the abnormal build-up of proteins in and around brain cells.  One of the proteins involved is called amyloid, deposits of which form plaques around brain cells.  The other protein is called tau, deposits of which form tangles within brain cells.

Symptoms

The symptoms of Alzheimer's disease progress slowly over several years. Sometimes these symptoms are confused with other conditions and may initially be put down to old age.

The rate at which the symptoms progress is different for each individual.  In some cases, other conditions can be responsible for symptoms getting worse.

These conditions include:

-infections

-stroke

-delirium

Classification