Early warning signs of Alzheimer's disease should not be ignored
Frequently asking for information, difficulty expressing yourself, and repeating the same story many times can be early warning signs of Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. The disease often appears after age 65, the risk increases with age. Doctor II Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Department of Stroke Neurology, Tam Anh General Hospital, Hanoi, pointed out some early signs of this disease.
Frequently forgetting new information: The brain cannot record and retain new information, causing the patient to ask again and again, forgetting conversations or events that just happened. Patients have to rely heavily on notes or relatives to remember what to do.
Difficulty performing familiar tasks: Patients have difficulty cooking, managing money, using medication or performing tasks they are already proficient at, because brain damage causes the loss of the ability to retain new information in short-term memory. Một số người có thể không còn nhớ trình tự thực hiện các bước của một công việc quen thuộc.
Difficulty finding words or following a conversation: Patients often forget names of objects, have difficulty expressing thoughts, forget what they intend to say or cannot keep up with the content of the conversation, and repeat the same story many times.
Confusion about time and place: Forgetting dates, not knowing where you are or getting lost in familiar places are also signs of Alzheimer's disease. Because the disease damages and destroys nerve cells as well as connections in the cerebral cortex.
Personality changes: The patient becomes lethargic, anxious, suspicious, easily agitated or makes decisions that are inconsistent with before.
Difficulty with spatial and visual perception: Some people have difficulty estimating distances, spatial orientation or recognizing the location of objects, thereby affecting the ability to walk, drive and live.
Doctor Phuong Thao added that when suffering from Alzheimer's disease, forgetfulness tends to repeat and progress, different from forgetfulness in old age. In addition to Alzheimer's disease, cognitive decline can also be caused by many other causes such as depression, sleep disorders, drug effects or other neurological diseases.
When you notice that your loved one has more obvious signs of memory loss such as frequently repeating questions, having difficulty with familiar tasks, or unusual changes in behavior, the family should take the patient to the doctor. To diagnose Alzheimer's disease, not only based on symptoms, the doctor will take medical history, discuss with relatives, and evaluate the patient's cognition and ability to perform daily activities to determine the level of decline.
Patients may need magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) of the brain to evaluate brain structural damage, brain atrophy, and rule out some other causes of cognitive decline.
In cases where it is necessary to determine Alzheimer's disease, doctors can use amyloid and tau biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid, brain PET/CT scans or blood biomarker tests. However, doctors note that testing should be performed when there are appropriate indications, patients should not self-test or self-diagnose the disease based on the results.
Besides drug treatment, patients should maintain physical activity, intellectual activity and social interaction, control blood pressure, blood sugar, blood fat, maintain proper sleep and nutrition. Timely diagnosis and treatment help patients have more opportunities to receive treatment, control risk factors, plan care, and be more proactive in decisions related to health and life.
Hieu Nguyen
