Dementia, which causes the disease in question, is usually characteristic of people of advanced age, older than 60-65 years. But Alzheimer's disease at a young age also occurs, although very rarely. Damage to neural connections in the brain, unfortunately, is irreversible and tissue death only progresses.
Stages of Alzheimer's Disease
The course of the disease occurs in 4 stages:
- A prediction that is characterized by an inability to recall some little things from the recent past; concentrate attention, learn new, even the most simple information.
- Dementia is early. At this stage, there are violations of motor and speech functions, persistent signs of memory disorder , scarcity of vocabulary.
- Moderate dementia: loss of writing and reading skills. Strong distortion of speech, the use of inappropriate words and expressions. In addition, this stage is characterized by the helplessness of the patient, as he is unable to perform even simple familiar actions.
- Dementia is severe. There is a rapid loss of muscle mass, loss of verbal skills, inability to take care of yourself.
Alzheimer's disease - causes
To determine the factors that provoke the disease, a lot of time and money was spent, experimental vaccines were developed, but the causes of Alzheimer's disease were not elucidated.
By the exclusion method, it can be assumed that the only theory that deserves attention is the hypothesis of tau protein. According to her, the hyperphosphorylated protein in the form of filaments gathers into tangles, which initially blocks the transfer of impulses from one neuron to another, and then causes the death of brain cells.
More recently, it was believed that Alzheimer's disease causes heredity, but there is no evidence of this theory.
How to prevent Alzheimer's disease?
Without known causes of development, it is very difficult to prevent the disease. Therefore, the prevention of Alzheimer's disease is to replenish the diet of sea fish, fresh vegetables and fruits.
Smoking and Alzheimer's Disease
Contrary to popular belief that nicotine improves brain function, recent studies have shown that smoking not only does not prevent Alzheimer's, but also contributes to the development of vascular dementia - a severe form of dementia.