Alzheimer's Disease Stages, Alzhimers

Conditions & Diseases: Brain & Nervous System

Alzheimer's Disease

Stages

Alzheimer’s disease can be divided into following seven stages which occur as a gradual diminishment of capacities. They include:

I. No impairment of normal function: No signs of memory loss are visible to a medical professional nor does the patient experience any AD related symptoms.

II. Very mild cognitive decline: People may experience some loss of memory such as forgetting familiar words, names, or location of their wristwatch, eyeglasses or any such objects of daily use. Family, friends or colleagues may observe these signs.

III. Mild cognitive decline: Early stage AD can be diagnosed only in some individuals with the following symptoms:

The patient has trouble remembering words or names.
The patient loses the ability to remember names of individuals newly introduced to him or her.
Difference in performance can be easily noticed in a work or social environment by family, friends, and colleagues.
Less reading retention.
The patient misplaces or loses valuable objects.
Decreased ability to plan or organize.

IV. Moderate cognitive decline: It is a mild or early stage Alzheimer’s disease with the following clear-cut deficiencies being observed:

The patient fails to recollect recent incidents or current events.
The patient cannot perform some challenging mental arithmetic such as counting backwards from say 75 by 7s.
The patient is not able to plan or organize complex tasks such as arranging a party, planning a picnic, etc.
The patient is more socially withdrawn and silent in challenging situations.

V. Moderately severe cognitive decline: It is a moderate or mid-stage AD with major gaps in memory and deficits in cognitive function. Assistance with daily activities may be required and the following deficiencies are observed:

The patient fails to recall current address, telephone number, and name of the college or school from which they graduated.
The patient is in a confused state of mind with regards to their current location, date, day of the week, season etc.
The patient fails to perform even lesser challenging mental arithmetic such as counting backwards from 40 by 4s.
The patient requires help in choosing the appropriate clothing for a particular season or occasion.
Generally, the patient retains substantial knowledge and can tell his/her own name, names of their spouse or children.
The patient does not require any assistance for eating or using toilet.

VI. Severe cognitive decline: It is the next to the last stage and is also called moderately severe or mid-stage of Alzheimer’s disease with memory difficulties continuing to worsen, substantial personality changes emerging and the patients requiring considerable amount of help for carrying out their day-to-day activities. The following symptoms are observed in the patients:

The patient loses track of some of the most recent experiences, events and even their surroundings. The patient cannot recall personal history exactly, though she/he can recall her/his name perfectly. The patient can distinguish familiar faces from unfamiliar faces.
The patient requires help to dress appropriately, since they tend to create errors such as wearing shoes on wrong feet etc.,
The patient experiences a disturbance in normal sleep/waking cycle.
The patient would require the help for handling details of toileting such as flushing toilet, wiping and proper disposal of tissue paper.
There are increasing episodes of urinary or fecal incontinence.
Changes in behavior including suspicion and delusions such as suspecting the care giver as an impostor; Hallucinations, repetitive behavior such as hand wringing etc.,
The patient tends to wander and/or get lost.

VII. Very severe cognitive decline: It is the ultimate stage and is called Severe or late-stage Alzheimer's disease with the patient losing the ability to respond to environment, unable to communicate orally, and unable to control movements.

Very often, patients in this stage lose the ability to communicate in a recognizable speech though they may utter phrases occasionally.
Patients need assistance in eating and toileting with “general incontinence of urine.”
Patients gradually lose the ability to walk without support, to sit, to smile and hold their head up. Muscles become rigid and reflexes abnormal with swallowing becoming impaired (12).

Article by Kona Vishnu, MS
Medical Writer,
OmniMedicalSearch.com