For many people, there is nothing strange in the fact that their grandmother or grandfather complain about forgetfulness and scattered, and it may be she - Alzheimer's disease. Incomprehensible and incurable. Clearer about incomprehensible, namely about Alzheimer's disease - read in the article.
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Many have heard about Alzheimer's illness (she suffered, for example, the American president of Reagan), but not everything clearly imagine what it is. With Alzheimer's disease are trying to fight in various ways, but it has not yet been able to recover from it. This is severe and in many ways the incomprehensible disease is transmitted most often by inheritance.So, what is Alzheimer's disease? Alzheimer's disease is a disease that begins in elderly and old age and is characterized by gradually increasing memory deterioration and other intellectual functions. The cause of Alzheimer's disease is that disorders develop in the brain, leading to the increasing death of nerve cells and the destruction of all mental functions. Alzheimer's disease is early (up to 65 years) and late (after 65 years).
For the first time, this disease was described by the German psychiatrist.Alzheimer in 1907. The causes of Alzheimer's disease and to this day are not completely installed, there is evidence that it is a hereditary disease, but at the same time there are such cases that cannot be associated with heredity.
Nevertheless, recently, science still managed to detect genes that determine the degree of probability of the disease of Alzheimer's disease. In the process of studying this disease, very interesting facts were found. It is proved that Alzheimer's diseases are more susceptible to people with a low level of education or those whose profession does not require high qualifications. In people with a higher level of intelligence, Alzheimer's disease is much less common because the nerve brain bonds in these people are stronger. For this reason, the functions of lost cerebral cells with their death immediately begin to be performed by others, previously located in a kind «Reserve». It is also noticed that women are more predisposed to Alzheimer's disease. This, to some extent, is explained by the fact that the life expectancy of women is higher than men, most of which simply do not reach the age when Alzheimer's disease is most likely. Violations occurring in the human brain in Alzheimer's disease lead to complete helplessness and, ultimately, to death. This process can last for years, carrying incredible torment with both the person and his loved one.
Sometimes the disease begins with changes in character: rudeness appears, selfishness, inattention to the interests of loved ones, indifference to everything. At the same time, the character traits that were previously inherent in this person (for example, sensitivity, care for children and grandchildren) are gradually erased.
One of the first signs of Alzheimer's disease is nonsense, which may be expressed, for example, in confidence that no one loves him, he is ignored, pursued and t.D. Such nonsense can cause persistent reduction in mood or even depression.
With the further development of the disease, a person appears hallucinations when he can see, hear or feel what is not really. Finally, the orientation in time is disturbed (do not remember what a number today, year), space (do not understand where there are), the environment (can get lost in a familiar place). Patients do not recognize not only familiar, but also the closest people.
At the same time, there are violations of the right perceptions, full or partial loss of speech or its misunderstanding, violation of the ability to produce familiar actions, including the loss of previously acquired skills. Instead of the usual meaningful speech, the flow of an uninterrupted word set appears, letters and reading skills are disturbed.
Recent changes are violations of orientation in their own personality, when the patient with difficulty understands who he is, how old he is and t.D. Patients are forgotten how to dress, comply with the rules of personal hygiene, use household appliances. Gradually, they lose the ability to serve themselves and live without any assistance. The final stage of the disease is deep general dementia. Motor functions remain only primitive reflexes - sucking, chewing, swallowing. Most of the time patients are in bed in the embryo pose, making senseless screams.
However, laboratory studies are not specific for Alzheimer's disease, they are needed only to identify diseases that could cause memory violations (maybe alzheimer's illness is to blame). If possible, in the presence of suspicion of Alzheimer's disease, neurovalization is necessary, the diagnostic value of which is difficult to overestimate. In some countries, genetic testing has received widespread, which allows you to detect genes and mutations responsible for the development of this disease.
As already mentioned above, patients usually fall to a psychiatrist in the midst of the disease, since the initial stage is almost all considered as natural aging. Currently, unfortunately, absolute delusion of Alzheimer's disease is impossible. Currently existing methods of treatment are capable only for some time slow down the process of its development. Such treatment is certainly most effectively in the initial stages.
Prescribed drugs that allow you to delay the development of the disease, partially restore violations by the highest nervous activity, improve the processes of thinking, and in later stages - to facilitate care for patients.
So, for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase - galantamine, doneEpezil, rivastigmine and tinrin, which increase the amount of acetylcholine (substance transmitting excitation from one cell to another and participating in memory processes), thereby improving brain processes. This means that weakness can be treated at any stage: first in order to slow down the development of symptoms and maintain the quality of life at a sufficient level, and with far sakened disease - to reduce its progression.
Selliegilins are also used (inhibitors of Mao-B), nootropics, vitamin E, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents and estrogens (in women during menopause). With the average and severe stage of Alzheimer's disease, Memantine uses. The main effect of memantine is that it delays the development of some of the symptoms of the disease; treatment by this drug can allow patients to maintain their daily functions a little longer.
But the main treatment of Alzheimer's disease is still not pharmacological, but psychological. It is necessary to introduce patients to some kind of useful process, more active lifestyle, which can become an incentive for more intensive work of their brain, and therefore will contribute to the slowdown in the progression of the disease.
- Avoid stress: Chronic stress leads to a worsening of memory. According to research results, maintaining a high level of high levels of cortisol (stress hormone) for several days) negatively affects cognitive (thought) processes. In addition, chronic stress contributes to the development of anxious depressive disorders leading to a violation of memory. Therefore, the right organization of labor and recreation is so important, the ability to avoid stress.
- Search for physical education: physical activity improves brain blood flow, which, in turn, contributes to the growth of nervous cells and stimulates mental functions. This is proven in research both in animals and with the participation of people.
- Take vitamins: eating a large number of fats and carbohydrates increases the risk of atherosclerosis and diabetes, which are «favorable soil» for the occurrence of violation of the brain circulation, and respectively, dementia. As for polyunsaturated fatty acids, they, as well as antioxidants, primarily vitamins C and E, have a beneficial effect on the brain.
- It is useful to think: people are intellectually active compared to inactive risk of Alzheimer's disease. The higher the level of education, the more intensive mental load throughout the life, the more neurons are detected during research in memory centers. In retirement age, mental activity can be maintained by solving logical tasks, solving crosswords and T.NS.
- Take care of the head: the likelihood of the formation of Alzheimer's disease is 2 times higher in people who have undergone a cranial injury with a loss of consciousness more than 1 hour, as well as smokers. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid injuries of the head in exercise of sports or carrying out work related to increased risk of injury. The cessation of smoking at any age allows to reduce the likelihood of dementia.
