Because the final stage, physical effects become

Because Alzheimer is a progressive disorder, it gets
worse and more functions are lost as time passes and the affected regions begin
to shrink as nerve cells die. The stages of
Alzheimer’s diseases are divided into four the preclinical, mild, moderate and
the severe stage. In the early stages, patients deal with mild
reduction in memory and other mental functions like the difficulty in recalling
recent events. The symptoms are often overlooked and misidentified by doctors,
relatives as an indication that occurs in the elderly age and because the
progression of the disease is gradual, it is difficult to find the exact time
that has begun to deteriorate but specific areas of the brain are likely to be
affected decades before any signs or symptoms occur. Examples of this include
getting lost on their way home or forgetting which medications need to be taken
on a particular day. As the plaques and tangles spread to different areas of
the brain, more severe symptoms occur and the activities of everyday life are
strongly affected that it is starting to become difficult for the patient to be
autonomous. This is usually followed by mild to severe
aggressive behaviors like aggression, anxiety, mood swings, suspiciousness as
well as illusions or hallucinations. When the disease
enters the final stage, physical effects become more visible that individuals
become very confused and disorientated. Memory
disturbances are starting to become more serious that the patient cannot even
recognize their own family or loved ones and are unable to communicate
effectively as their senses are reduced. At this stage, the patient is
completely dependent on others for care and every sense of self seems to
disappear. The saddest part of the disease is that people
live between 5-10 years after being diagnosed because of physical impairment
due to diminished brain function but some patients today can live up to 14
years due to improvements in care and medical treatments.


There are no proven methods for preventing Alzheimer
but evidence suggests that healthy lifestyles such as systemic physical but
also mental exercise seem to protect against dementia. Ideal
exercise seems to be about 160 minutes per week, combining aerobic exercises
like walking, swimming with muscle strengthening exercises. A healthy diet is also recommended as a possible
method of prevention, although no definitive nutritional recommendations can be
made. It seems beneficial for the disease, to include fish, fruits, vegetables
and legumes, two glasses of red wine a day and white meat in your diet. Therefore, performing activities that enhance memory
such as reading, intellectual games or even simpler activities such as
crosswords can keep the cognitive functions of the elderly alive and help
preserve their memory. That is why educated people who systematically
exercise their mind suffer from the disease in older age and in milder form
than those who keep their minds idle. In addition, future studies may prove to
be beneficial in preventing the occurrence of Alzheimer’s, or at least the
severity of its progression.

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A diagnosis
of Alzheimer’s is said to be a “diagnosis by exclusion”. This means that there
is no certain test just for Alzheimer’s, but today medical history, a physical
exam, and mental status tests are used for diagnosis but they aren’t so
accurate as an autopsy of brain tissue examined under a microscope.
Unfortunately, there is also not a radical cure for Alzheimer because it is a
complex disease and it is unlikely that any drug or other intervention can successfully
treat it, so it cannot be halted or reversed. However, there are drugs that
inhibit and significantly slow down its development, especially if given early.
Their goal is to strengthen patient’s autonomy and daily functioning and
significantly improve the lives of patients and their families. According to
studies the condition of patients undergoing treatment is deteriorating much
slower than those who are not treated. In addition, their quality of life is
clearly better, making them easier to care for, and thus putting less weight on
their families.


In conclusion, Alzheimer disease is a complex disorder
that affects the brain and the entire body in the process and eventually leads
to memory loss as the brain cells die. 
It is responsible for many deaths worldwide and has continued to be a
major health problem in the society today. Symptoms begin many years before
they are noticeable and over the years scientists have made much progress in
understanding it but furthermore research needs to be made in order for the
cause and the cure of disease to be identified.