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Alzheimer's Disease
See Also:
Alzheimer's Disease:
Introduction
Alzheimer's Disease: Types
Alzheimer's Disease:
Causes & Risk Factors
Alzheimer's Disease: Signs
& Symptoms
Alzheimer's Disease: Stages
Alzheimer's Disease: Medical
Tests & Diagnosis Methods
Alzheimer's Disease:
Treatment Options & Prevention
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. |
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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- The patient is more socially withdrawn and silent in challenging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).

See Also:
Alzheimer's Disease:
Introduction
Alzheimer's Disease: Types
Alzheimer's Disease:
Causes & Risk Factors
Alzheimer's Disease: Signs
& Symptoms
Alzheimer's Disease: Stages
Alzheimer's Disease: Medical
Tests & Diagnosis Methods
Alzheimer's Disease:
Treatment Options & Prevention
Article by Kona Vishnu, MS
Medical Writer,
OmniMedicalSearch.com |
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