Diseases affecting many people include Alzheimer's disease. According to the Foundation for Research on Alzheimer's, no less than 3 million French will be affected by this neurodegenerative disease in 2020 and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 65.7 million people worldwide will suffer in 2030. It is therefore essential to know the first symptoms of the disease in order to take charge of it as soon as possible!
The first 10 symptoms of Alzheimer's disease
1. The loss of memory
Translating the alteration of the hippocampal formation, which is part of all areas of the brain playing a role in learning, memory, olfaction and regulation of emotions, memory loss is one of the first signs of Alzheimer's disease. It can be a forgotten word, the need to repeat a sentence or even buying several times the same article at close intervals.
2. Language disorders
Since Alzheimer's disease is illustrated by the progressive loss of neurons, which leads to an irreversible decline in cognition and memory, language and communication disorders are part of the disease. First of all, it is a question of replacing some forgotten words with "suitcase words". Then, as and when, the patient will indistinctly pronounce his sentences, will have difficulties for reading and understanding and he will end up being physically unable to speak.
3. Disorientation
One of the first symptoms of Alzheimer's disease is disorientation. Indeed, the person is gradually no longer able to identify places, objects and faces because of the fact that it can no longer relate what is perceived and learned. However, she can sometimes use other senses such as touching or hearing to compensate.
4. Inappropriate social behavior
At once euphoric, agitated, aggressive, uninhibited and having an aberrant behavior, the person suffering from Alzheimer's suffers from inappropriate social behavior. For example, she can laugh at things that are not for the rest of society or talk to strangers and make derogatory remarks.
5. The reasoning disorders
The person with Alzheimer's will have problems to reason in a normal way. This demonstrates a disturbance in the ability to judge, especially to recognize a dangerous situation or not, and executive functions that are characterized by the impossibility of doing two things at once, the difficulty of performing daily tasks and the fact of to be easily distracted.
6. Difficulty performing familiar tasks
From the beginning of the illness, it is possible to notice a difficulty in performing familiar tasks such as preparing food. In addition, the gestures are more difficult to execute. In the beginning, it is no longer able to write or perform household chores and gradually, the person can no longer dress or even use cutlery or chew.
7. Mood changes
A person with Alzheimer's will face mood changes. Indeed, she will be more easily irritable, will have sudden fits of anger and will be impatient. This is explained by the lack of regulation of the emotions in view of the alteration of the hippocampal formation, described above.
8. Losing your business
The loss of memory in Alzheimer's disease is also illustrated early on by losing business. If this phenomenon is repeated often, it can be one of the symptoms of the disease. It should be noted that patients with Alzheimer's usually tidy up their belongings and do not find them, such as the television remote control in the refrigerator.
9. Personality changes
In the same way that it changes easily of the mood, the patient will change of personality and this, from the beginning of the disease. Indeed, an American study by the Mayo Clinic published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society shows that personality and mood changes begin very early in the development of Alzheimer's disease.
10. Passivity
One of the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease is passivity and lack of interest in things and fun activities before. Between emotional disorders related to the loss of neurons and depression consequent to the disease, the patient will seem indifferent to people and things around him.
It should be noted that certain factors increase the risk of suffering from Alzheimer's including inherited terrain, age, smoking and certain diseases including cardiovascular disorders. Indeed, according to a study from the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania, USA), the risk of dementia increases by 30% if one has a history of cardiovascular pathologies. Thus, cardiovascular prevention is also a preventive measure against Alzheimer's type dementia.