Alzheimer's Disease
Stages
Alzheimer’s disease can be divided into the following seven stages
which occur as a gradual diminishment of mental and physical 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.
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IV. Moderate cognitive decline: This 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- The patient is more socially withdrawn and silent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: This 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 the
toilet.
VI. Severe cognitive decline: This 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 patient requiringa considerable amount of help
for carrying out their day-to-day activities. The following symptoms are
observed in patients with severe cognitive decline:
- 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: This is the ultimate
stage and is called Severe or late-stage Alzheimer's disease with the
patient losing the ability to respond to the 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
Page Covers: What are the stages of Alzheimer's disease?
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