What is the Prognosis for Alzheimers Disease?


Unfortunately, even with modern day medicine, the prognosis for Alzheimers disease is that it is an incurable, degenerative disease. However, according to recent studies there are variations in the prognosis of different patients. In fact, a patients symptoms are indicative of their prognosis.

Symptoms that May Indicate a Shorter Survival

There are certain symptoms that may indicate a person will have a shorter lifespan than other Alzheimers disease patients. Some of these indictors include: unsteadiness when walking; incontinence of urine; poor test scores on mental acuity tests; rapid decline during the first year they are diagnosed; wandering behaviors; and preexisting conditions such as heart disease or diabetes. Women also have a longer survival rate than men do when it comes to Alzheimers disease prognosis.

Treatments and Their Effects on Alzheimers Disease Prognosis

There are treatments for Alzheimers disease that may help those affected to retain their mental acuity longer. These treatments are generally seen as more effective when they are started at the earliest stages of the disease. Some treatments are relatively simple such as increasing the amount of time you walk per day. Other treatments may come in the form of medications. Whether or not a person is given certain medications or other treatments is dependent on their Alzheimers disease prognosis and its current stage. Treatment may also vary depending on the patient and their familys wishes.

There are several different medicines that can be used to combat Alzheimers disease. Two of these are Aricept and Namenda. Although these medications may not improve a persons long-term Alzheimers disease prognosis, they can improve the amount of time the person is able to stay reasonably mentally acute.

Aricept Aricept is one type of a cholinesterase inhibitor that is used in the treatment of Alzheimers disease. It is also the most common. This type of drug is used to stop the breakdown of cetylcholine. This is a chemical in the brain that is used for mental functions and plays a role in memory functions. Although this drug does not cure Alzheimers, it may help to improve mental acuity and function in some patients. This medication is used in all levels of Alzheimers disease including mild, moderate, and severe.

Namenda Namenda is a drug that works differently than other Alzheimer medications. It works to regulate a chemical called glutamate in the brain. This chemical regulates what other chemicals and minerals are allowed to enter brain cells. In a person with Alzheimers disease, their brains produce too much glutamate. By regulating this chemical, a person may have increased ability to process information and regulate memories.

Alzheimers Drug

Currently, there is no positive test for Alzheimers, and the disease in diagnosed through memory tests, observation and brain scans.

There are four chromosomes that have been shown to have something to do with the development of Alzheimers. They may even get to the point where they forget how to do seemingly simple tasks, such as brushing their teeth or combing their hair. Alzheimers symptoms oftentimes disguise themselves as memory lapse or mild irritability.

The third stage is when other people begin to notice the changes in a persons memory or abilities.
Part of this delay in diagnosis may be due to the stigma that is involved with this disease which can discourage individuals to get tested when they first notice symptoms. Scientific evidence has shown that there is a relationship between the health of your brain and the health of your cardiovascular system, and in particular it seems helpful to focus on diet and exercise here. Some of the things that need to be decided upon include the outcomes of various treatment options, goals of medical care and any risks that may be involved with this care.

And, you need not pay the earth for them as you can very often get them a wide range of designs to choose from, and wearing Alzheimers medical alert bracelets will provide you with much needed peace of mind as well.
As the patient digresses where they can no longer control bodily functions or angry outbreaks, placing them in Alzheimers nursing homes may be the best thing the family can do for the patient. With a maximum score of 30, the Alzheimers disease assessment scale is used mainly to measure any improvement, or continued degeneration in cognitive abilities. Overall, evidence suggests that there is no real Alzheimers gene, rather a large set of genes that work in conjunction with other factors that make Alzheimers disease more likely to strike. In the early stages of this disease, symptoms may not be obvious.