Alzheimer’s disease, is probably one disease which is deadlier than cancer and AIDS and the reason for this is that it’s incurable, no matter which stage it is in! It may not be fatal, but what makes it dangerous is that it causes potential degeneration of brain leading to severe loss of memory and and nothing can be done to reverse the process.

Symptoms

There’s a wide range of symptoms to Alzheimer’s and therefore might vary from one person to another. But there are some that are very typical to this disease which again depends on the stage of the disease.

Causes

The cause of this disease is still unknown but according to one hypothesis, it is said that it is mainly caused due to decreases in chemical Acetylcholine which is important for proper brain functioning.

It’s caused due to building up of proteins leading to the formations of plaques and tangles that interferes in general brain functioning.

Other causes include, serious head injury, age factors, family history of the disease

In the pre-dementia stage, which is the first stage, the symptoms seen are the the general memory loss, which includes difficulty in recollecting recent events, understanding meanings and concepts, difficulty in abstract thinking, planning and attentiveness.

The early dementia stage shows difficulty in movements, remembering the language and perception which are the typical in Alzheimer’s.

The moderate dementia stage involves increased difficulty in speech, remembering relatives and long term memory is also seen to be potentially diminished. Certain behavioral changes are also seen like irritation, wandering, showing intense emotion etc.

Advanced dementia stage results in extreme apathy and emotional outbursts, mostly due to the frustration piling up. They finally lost the ability to perform even the simplest job by themselves and almost always need assistance.

Treatment

The main treatment as of now includes increasing the amount of acetylcholine in the body. But scientist have now found a way to potentially decrease and and also reverse the process of brain degeneration. And this is said to work within minutes which is probably the fastest remedy for Alzheimer’s yet.

This breakthrough drug ‘etanercept’ works directly at the area that causes the highest damage to the brain leading to memory loss. Research has revealed that this drug showed significant change within minutes of administration.

This, the scientists say is the best remedy for Alzheimer’s that actually works and might as well cure to a great extent!