Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease

Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease
What is Alzheimer's disease? What are the early onset signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease? These are questions that many people who have love ones with this neurologic disorder ask their health care provider. Alzheimer's disease, aka primary degenerative dementia, accounts for nearly half of all dementia cases in the United States. This disease, however, isn't only restrictive to the elderly population. About 1% to 10% of causes for Alzheimer's disease occurs in the middle age years. However, because Alzheimer's disease is progressive, the prognosis for patients with this disease is extremely poor.

Now, the early onset signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are insidious at best. The patient with this neurological disorder generally undergoes imperceptible changes. Some of these changes are recent memory loss, forgetfulness, difficulty learning, difficulty in remembering new information, and a worsening in personal hygiene and appearance, and an incapacity to concentrate.

When that happens, gradually any task that required abstract thinking and any activities that may require judgment will become more and more difficult for the person to do. This will soon result in progressive difficulty for the person to communicate, and they will have relentless deterioration in memory, speech, and motor functions. The lost of motor functions will result in a loss of dexterity and an inability to write or speak. During these signs and symptoms, the person with Alzheimer's disease will show odd personality changes. Some of these personality changes are restlessness and irritability. Experiencing nocturnal awakening is common with Alzheimer's disease also.

If Alzheimer's disease is detected early then that patient can be treated. The treatment therapy consists of numerous cerebral vasodilators such as ergoloid mesylates, isoxuprine, and cyclandelate. These drugs are used to help enhance the brain's circulation. Other drugs that may be given to an Alzheimer's disease patient are antidepressants because if an Alzheimer's patient has severe depression it will exacerbate the patient's dementia. Another drug used to treat Alzheimer's is Tacrine. Tacrine which is a centrally-acting anticholinesterase agent that is only used to treat memory deficits caused by Alzheimer's disease.

In conclusion, it is very important to learn and understand the early onset of Alzheimer's disease because millions of people are diagnosed with this disease too late. If a person and/or their family members are watchful, then they can get treatment for Alzheimer's disease early on. This is important because those who get treatment earlier for Alzheimer's disease have better results over time.