Penyakit Alzheimer dimulai perlahan-lahan. Pada awalnya, gejala mungkin hanya kelupaan ringan.

Orang-orang di tahap awal penyakit Alzheimer mungkin kesulitan mengingat kejadian terakhir, kegiatan, atau nama-nama orang akrab atau hal. Masalah matematika sederhana dapat menjadi sulit untuk memecahkan. Kesulitan tersebut dapat mengganggu, tetapi biasanya mereka tidak cukup serius untuk menyebabkan alarm. Namun, sebagai penyakit berlangsung, lupa mulai mengganggu aktivitas sehari-hari. Orang mungkin lupa jalan pulang atau menemukan sulit untuk menghadapi kehidupan sehari-hari. Gejala tersebut lebih mudah melihat dan menjadi cukup serius untuk menyebabkan orang dengan penyakit Alzheimer atau anggota keluarga mereka untuk mencari bantuan medis. Orang-orang di tahap tengah penyakit Alzheimer dapat lupa bagaimana melakukan tugastugas dasar, seperti menyikat gigi atau menyisir rambut mereka. Mereka tidak bisa lagi berpikir jernih. Mereka mulai memiliki masalah berbicara, memahami sesuatu, membaca, atau menulis. Kemudian, orang dengan penyakit Alzheimer dapat menjadi cemas, gelisah atau agresif, atau mengembara jauh dari rumah. Akhirnya, pasien memerlukan perawatan total. Tanda-tanda Alzheimer ringan dapat mencakup:

kehilangan memori kebingungan tentang lokasi tempat yang akrab lebih lama untuk menyelesaikan tugas sehari-hari kesulitan menangani uang dan membayar tagihan miskin penilaian yang mengarah ke keputusan yang buruk hilangnya rasa spontanitas dan inisiatif suasana hati dan perubahan kepribadian peningkatan kecemasan meningkatkan kehilangan memori dan kebingungan dipersingkat rentang perhatian masalah mengakui teman dan anggota keluarga kesulitan dengan bahasa, termasuk masalah dengan membaca dan menulis kesulitan bekerja dengan angka kesulitan mengorganisir pikiran dan berpikir secara logis ketidakmampuan untuk belajar hal-hal baru atau menghadapi situasi yang baru atau tidak terduga gelisah, agitasi, kegelisahan, tearfulness mengembara - terutama di sore hari atau di malam hari pernyataan atau gerakan berulang, berkedut otot sesekali halusinasi dan delusi, kecurigaan atau paranoia, lekas marah hilangnya kontrol impuls perseptual-motor masalah

Gejala Alzheimer berat termasuk

Ketidakmampuan untuk mengenali orang-orang keluarga atau dicintai Ketidakmampuan untuk berkomunikasi hilangnya rasa diri berat badan kejang, infeksi kulit, kesulitan menelan mengerang, merintih, atau mendengus

tidur meningkat kurangnya kontrol kandung kemih dan usus Total ketergantungan pada pengasuh

News Medical http://www.news-medical.net/health/Alzheimers-Disease-Symptoms(Indonesian).aspx

Penelitian telah menunjukkan bahwa menjaga otak aktif mungkin dikaitkan dengan mengurangi risiko of Alzheimer. Dalam sebuah studi dengan biarawati, para imam dan saudara-saudara yang dikenal sebagai studi beragama, peneliti meminta lebih dari 700 peserta untuk menggambarkan jumlah waktu yang mereka habiskan di mental merangsang kegiatan. Kegiatan ini termasuk mendengarkan radio, membaca koran, teka-teki permainan, dan akan Museum. Setelah mengikuti para peserta selama empat tahun, para peneliti menemukan bahwa risiko mengembangkan Alzheimer 47 persen lebih rendah rata-rata untuk orang-orang yang melakukan ini secara mental merangsang kegiatan paling sering daripada bagi mereka yang tidak mereka paling sering. Tidak ada perawatan, obat-obatan, atau pil yang dapat mencegah Alzheimer, tetapi orangorang dapat mengambil beberapa langkah-langkah yang dapat mengurangi risiko. Ini termasuk:

menurunkan kolesterol dan homocysteine tingkat menurunkan tekanan darah tinggi tingkat mengendalikan diabetes berolahraga secara teratur terlibat dalam kegiatan yang merangsang pikiran Diet sehat sangat penting. Meskipun tidak ada diet khusus atau suplemen gizi telah ditemukan untuk mencegah atau membalikkan penyakit Alzheimer, diet seimbang membantu mempertahankan secara keseluruhan baik kesehatan.

http://www.news-medical.net/health/Alzheimers-Disease-Causes-(Indonesian).aspx

What Is Alzheimer's Disease?

Alzheimers disease is a brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. It begins slowly and gets worse over time. Currently, it has no cure.

A Common Cause of Dementia

Alzheimers disease is the most common cause of dementia among older people. Dementia is a loss of thinking, remembering, and reasoning skills that interferes with a persons daily life and activities. Dementia ranges in severity from the mild stage, when it is just beginning to affect a persons functioning, to the severe stage, when the person must depend completely on others for basic care.

Estimates vary, but experts suggest that as many as 5.1 million people in the United States may have Alzheimer's disease. Symptoms usually begin after age 60, and the risk of developing the disease increases with age. While younger people -- in their 30s, 40s, and 50s -- may get Alzheimer's disease, it is much less common. It is important to note that Alzheimer's disease is not a normal part of aging. The course of Alzheimers diseasewhich symptoms appear and how quickly changes occurvaries from person to person. The time from diagnosis to death varies, too. It can be as little as 3 or 4 years if the person is over 80 years old when diagnosed or as long as 10 years or more if the person is younger.

Memory Problems
Memory problems are typically one of the first signs of Alzheimers disease. People with Alzheimers have trouble doing everyday things like driving a car, cooking a meal, or paying bills. They may ask the same questions over and over, get lost easily, lose things or put them in odd places, and find even simple things confusing. Some people become worried, angry, or violent. Not all people with memory problems have Alzheimers disease. Mild forgetfulness can be a normal part of aging. Some people may notice that it takes longer to learn new things, remember certain words, or find their glasses. Sometimes memory problems are related to health issues that are treatable. For example, medication side effects, vitamin B12 deficiency, or liver or kidney disorders can lead to memory loss or possibly dementia. Emotional problems, such as stress, anxiety, or depression, can also make a person more forgetful and may be mistaken for dementia.

Mild Cognitive Impairment

Some older people with memory or other thinking problems have a condition called mild cognitive impairment, or MCI. MCI can be an early sign of Alzheimers, but not everyone with MCI will develop Alzheimers disease. People with MCI can still take care of themselves and do their normal activities. Signs of MCI may include

losing things often forgetting to go to events and appointments having more trouble coming up with words than other people the same age.

If you or someone in your family thinks your forgetfulness is getting in the way of your normal routine, its time to see your doctor. Seeing the doctor when you first start having memory problems can help you find out whats causing your forgetfulness.

What Happens to the Brain in Alzheimers?

Alzheimer's disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German doctor. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. He found many abnormal clumps (now called amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of fibers (now called neurofibrillary tangles). Plaques and tangles in the brain are two of the main features of Alzheimer's disease. The third is loss of connections between nerve cells in the brain. Although we still dont know how Alzheimers disease begins, it seems likely that damage to the brain starts 10 years or more before problems become obvious. During the earliest stage of Alzheimers, people are free of symptoms, but harmful changes are taking place in the brain. Abnormal protein deposits form plaques and tangles in the brain. Once-healthy nerve cells lose their ability to function and communicate with each other, and eventually they die. As nerve cells in the brain die, parts of the brain begin to shrink. By the final stage of Alzheimers, damage is widespread, and brain tissue has shrunk significantly.
NIH Senior Health http://nihseniorhealth.gov/alzheimersdisease/whatisalzheimersdisease/01.html
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting around 496,000 people in the UK. The term 'dementia' describes a set of symptoms which can include loss of memory, mood changes, and problems with communication and reasoning. These symptoms occur when the brain is damaged by certain diseases and conditions, including Alzheimer's disease. This factsheet outlines the symptoms and risk factors for Alzheimer's disease, and describes what treatments are currently available. Alzheimer's disease, first described by the German neurologist Alois Alzheimer, is a physical disease affecting the brain. During the course of the disease, protein 'plaques' and 'tangles' develop in the structure of the brain, leading to the death of brain cells. People with Alzheimer's also have a shortage of some important chemicals in their brain. These chemicals are involved with the transmission of messages within the brain. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, which means that gradually, over time, more parts of the brain are damaged. As this happens, the symptoms become more severe.

Symptoms
People in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease may experience lapses of memory and have problems finding the right words. As the disease progresses, they may: become confused and frequently forget the names of people, places, appointments and recent events experience mood swings, feel sad or angry, or scared and frustrated by their increasing memory loss become more withdrawn, due either to a loss of confidence or to communication problems

have difficulty carrying out everyday activities - they may get muddled checking their change at the shops or become unsure how to work the TV remote. As the disease progresses, people with Alzheimer's will need more support from those who care for them. Eventually, they will need help with all their daily activities. While there are some common symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, it is important to remember that everyone is unique. No two people are likely to experience Alzheimer's disease in the same way.

Mild cognitive impairment

Recently, some doctors have begun to use the term mild cognitive impairment (MCI)when an individual has difficulty remembering things or thinking clearly but the symptoms are not severe enough to warrant a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Recent research has shown that individuals with MCI have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. However, the conversion rate from MCI to Alzheimer's is low (about 10-20 per cent each year), and consequently a diagnosis of MCI does not always mean that the person will go on to develop Alzheimer's.

What causes Alzheimer's disease?

So far, no one single factor has been identified as a cause for Alzheimer's disease. It is likely that a combination of factors, including age, genetic inheritance, environmental factors, lifestyle and overall general health, are responsible. In some people, the disease may develop silently for many years before symptoms appear.

Age
Age is the greatest risk factor for dementia. Dementia affects one in 14 people over the age of 65 and one in six over the age of 80. However, dementia is not restricted to older people: in the UK, there are over 17,000 people under the age of 65 with dementia, although this figure is likely to be an underestimate.

Genetic inheritance
Many people fear that they may inherit Alzheimer's disease and scientists are currently investigating the genetic background to Alzheimer's. We do know that there are a few families where there is a very clear inheritance of the disease from one generation to the next. This is often in families where the disease appears relatively early in life. In the vast majority of cases, however, the influence of inherited genes for Alzheimer's disease in older people seems to be small. If a parent or other relative has Alzheimer's, your own chances of developing the disease are only a little higher than if there were no cases of Alzheimer's in the immediate family. For more information see our factsheet on Genetics and dementia (405).

Environmental factors
The environmental factors that may contribute to the onset of Alzheimer's disease have yet to be identified. A few years ago, there were concerns that exposure to aluminium might cause Alzheimer's disease. However, these fears have largely been discounted.

Other factors
Because of the difference in their chromosomal make-up, people with Down's syndromewho live into their 50s and 60s are at particular risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. People who have had severe head or whiplash injuries also appear to be at increased risk of developing dementia. Boxers who receive continual blows to the head are at risk too. Research has also shown that people who smoke, and those who have high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels or diabetes, are at increased risk of developing Alzheimer's. You can help reduce your risk by not smoking, eating a healthy balanced diet and having regular checks for blood pressure

and cholesterol from middle age. Maintaining a healthy weight and leading an active lifestyle combining physical, social and mental activity will also help.

Getting a diagnosis
If you are concerned about your own health, or the health of someone close to you, it is important to seek help from a GP. An early diagnosis will have a number of benefits including the opportunity to plan for the future and access treatment, advice and support. There is no straightforward test for Alzheimer's disease or for any other cause of dementia. A diagnosis is usually made by excluding other causes which present similar symptoms. The GP will need to rule out conditions such as infections, vitamin deficiency, thyroid problems, depression and the side-effects of medication.

Specialists
The GP may ask a specialist for help in carrying out a diagnosis. The specialist may be an old-age psychiatrist, a neurologist, a physician in geriatric medicine or a general psychiatrist. Who the person sees will depend on their age, how physically able they are and how well services are developed in the local area.

Tests
The person being tested will usually be given a blood test and a full physical examination to rule out or identify any other medical problems. The person's memory will be assessed, initially with questions about recent events and past memories. Their memory and thinking skills may also be assessed in detail by a psychologist. A brain scan may be carried out to give some clues about the changes taking place in the person's brain. There are a number of different types of scan, including computerised tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Treatment
There is currently no cure for Alzheimer's disease. However, drug treatments are available that can temporarily alleviate some symptoms or slow down their progression in some people. People with Alzheimer's have been shown to have a shortage of the chemical acetylcholine in their brains. The drugs Aricept, Exelon and Reminyl (trade names for the drugs donepezil hydrochloride, rivastigmine and galantamine) work by maintaining existing supplies of acetylcholine. As of March 2011, these drugs are recommended as an option for people in the mild-to-moderate stages of Alzheimer's disease. Please refer to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) website for guidance (see Useful organisations at the end of this factsheet). Side-effects are usually minor but may include diarrhoea, nausea, insomnia, fatigue and loss of appetite. A drug called Ebixa (trade name for the drug memantine) was launched in the UK in 2002. Ebixa works in a different way from the other three and is the only drug that is recommended for people in both the moderate and severe stages of Alzheimer's disease. Side-effects may include dizziness, headaches and tiredness, and - rarely - hallucinations or confusion. These drugs are not a cure, but they may stabilise some of the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease for a limited period, typically 6-12 months or longer.

Alzheimers Society http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=100

Risk factors associated with Alzheimer's disease include:

Unavoidable risk factors

5,6

Age - the disorder is more likely in older people, and a greater proportion of over-85-year2

olds have it than of over-65s.

Family history (inheritance of genes) - having Alzheimer's in the family is associated with
7

higher risk. This is the second biggest risk factor after age.

Having a certain gene (the apolipoprotein E or APOE gene) puts a person, depending on
6

their specific genetics, at three to eight times more risk than a person without the gene. Numerous other genes have been found to be associated with Alzheimer's disease, even recently (see developments below).

Being female (more women than men are affected).

Alzheimers Association. 2013 Alzheimers disease facts and figures, PDF document accessed November 1st, 2013. DeFina PA, Moser RS, Glenn M, Lichtenstein JD and Fellus J. Alzheimer's disease clinical and research update for health care practitioners. Journal of Aging Research, volume 2013 (e-publication, September 4th, 2013), article ID: 207178. Tanzi RE. The genetics of Alzheimer disease. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine 2012, Oct 1st, volume 2, issue 10. Published online, July 25th, 2012 (DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a006296). (Available at http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159442.php, 1 November 2013