Alzheimers - i don't know much about it so...?

Question

Do people die from it?

I really know nothing about it,but my great auntie has just been diagnosed so any information would be appreciated.

Answer 1

check wikipedia, its too long for me to explain and you would probably understand it best from there aswell.

Answer 2

I'm sorry your great auntie has been diagnosed with this. My Grandmother has it. It is such a shame - my grandmother is now 83 but apart from the Alzheimer's - physically she is still very fit. However, her decline has been rather rapid. Sometimes there is a snippet of something that makes sense, most of the time she is like caring for a young child. My Uncle has given up his job and is her full time carer.

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative and irreversible brain disorder that causes intellectual impairment, disorientation and eventually death. There is no cure. It is estimated that 2-5% of people over 65 years of age and up to 20% of those over 85 years of age suffer from the disease.

There are some very rare inherited cases caused by genetic mutations, but these account for around 1% of people with Alzheimer's.

For most cases, there is a complex interaction of many genetic, environmental and life-style risk factors, with age and genetics playing the largest part.

Some factors, such as a well-balanced diet and regular physical and mental exercise can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's.

Protein deposits, known as amyloid plaques and tau tangles, appear and spread in the brain, particularly in the cortex and the hippocampus.

The levels of important chemical transmitters, such as acetylcholine, are reduced. Many of the blood vessels of the brain are also damaged.

These processes are made worse by chronic inflammation in the brain and by an excess of highly reactive molecules known as free radicals, which damage brain tissue.

Gradually the connections between brain cells are lost and eventually many of the cells themselves die.

It is particularly the loss of connections between brain cells that is thought to cause the devastating symptoms of the disease.

Various types of therapy are used to try to stimulate Alzheimer's patients.

These include: psychological methods, art therapy, music therapy, playing with toys.

Some health professionals try to encourage patients to reminisce about past memories as a way to reduce depression without the use of drugs.

A variety of drug treatments have been shown to benefit patients. None are a cure, but they can temporarily relieve some of the symptoms in some patients.

Answer 3

No it won't cause death.

She will simply forget things. She will forget family members, she will forget whta day it is... in later stages she will even forget what she just said.

A relative of mine has it and when we go to see her she doesn't know who we are and she just repeatedly comments about the weather and asks us the same questions.

My uncle went round and she refused to let him in at all thinking he was a burgular.

It is one of those illnesses that effects other people more than it effects the person who actually has it - she will be in ignorant bliss, where everyone else is upset about her no longer knowing them.

Answer 4

hiya, years ago i work with people with Alzheimer's in a nursing home.they go back to being a child again,they have to be hand fed and put on the toilet,most people have pads on,as they don't know they are going to the toilet.they don't recognise there family at all.some get very violent,pulling your hair,kicking you even biting you.its heart breaking seeing your mum/dad.or any member of your family with this terrible disease.they are very happy in there own little world,its harder if they have lost there speech.all they do is sit down all day.some can walk,but they do lose there balance .hope this has help.god bless your auntie x*x