Alzheimer's symptoms: understanding the disease
If it is normal with age While some memory lapses may occur, they shouldn't interfere with your daily life. How can you recognize the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and better understand how this condition develops? What signs should alert you and prompt you to consult a doctor? Let's take a closer look.
How do we define Alzheimer's disease?
La Alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia characterized by the progressive loss of neurons located in brain areas associated with memory, reasoning, attention, or language. After losing their functions, the cells die.
At the slightest sign of change in your cognitive abilities or those of your loved ones, take the time to consult a specialist or refer people who seem to be showing signs of Alzheimer's.
What are the main symptoms of Alzheimer's?
Memory loss
This is probably the best-known and most common sign. While it can be normal to forget appointments or names only to remember them later, it is more worrying to no longer remember certain events, dates, or recently learned information.
Difficulty in solving problems or organizing oneself
Everyone makes mistakes in their calculations or forgets an ingredient in a recipe. However, when these errors become frequent or systematic, it should raise a red flag.
Difficulty in taking on familiar tasks
As you get older, some everyday tasks may seem more difficult, especially due to unfamiliar technological advancements. However, if you can't remember the rules of a game you used to play or if you can no longer drive to a familiar place, consider seeking professional help.
Confusion in time and space
Losing track of the day while on vacation is nothing to worry about. However, if you confuse months or seasons the rest of the year, this might prompt you to seek professional help. Disorientation, particularly in time and space, is one of the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
Visual difficulties
In some cases, people with Alzheimer's may experience vision problems, particularly when reading. They struggle to distinguish colors and perceive contrasts. Sometimes, individuals with this condition may not recognize themselves in the mirror.
Difficulties expressing oneself
Do you sometimes call an object by another name? Are you unable to continue a conversation? Do you repeat yourself? These problems with oral or written expression may be the result of a degeneration of your neurons, and therefore early signs of Alzheimer's disease.
The loss of objects
When you're naturally disorganized or tired, losing things or putting them in unusual places is perfectly normal. If this tendency worsens, or if you start accusing others of stealing your belongings, you might consider it a symptom of Alzheimer's.
Making bad decisions
Impaired judgment is a notable sign of Alzheimer's disease. People with this condition are more easily deceived. They may also pay less attention to their hygiene and personal grooming.
The change in personality
When people with Alzheimer's disease experience a change in their way of living and thinking, they sometimes tend to gradually withdraw from their social lives and become more anxious, depressed, or suspicious. Taking them out of their comfort zone can be truly unsettling.
What scientific advances are enabling a better understanding of the disease?
A person with Alzheimer's cannot be cured of it. based on current research in this area. For the moment, the prescribed medications only slow the progression of the disease and limit behavioral problems.
By making progress in identifying the symptoms of Alzheimer's, researchers hope to better understand the disease and make progress in therapeutic solutions.
To address these challenges, researchers from the Pasteur Institute of Lille participated in an international study on genome analysis. The collaboration between French scientists, notably from the Pasteur Institute of Lille, and Dutch scientists was carried out on a large group of patients.
So far, the results of the study have shown that 75 regions of the genome are thought to be associated with Alzheimer's diseasemore than half of which had previously never been considered to be related to the disease.
To support medical research, please donate to the Pasteur Institute of Lille.
