Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer's disease develops slowly and causes changes in the brain long before there are obvious changes in a person's memory, thinking, use of words or behavior. Stages and changes the person will go through are outlined below.

• Common Changes in Mild AD
• Common Changes in Moderate AD
• Common Changes in Severe AD

Common Changes in Mild AD

• Loses spark or zest for life - does not start anything.

More than five million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, a 10 percent increase from the last official tally five years ago, and a number expected to more than triple by 2050, absent a cure, as the 85-and-over population soars and the baby boomers move into their late 60s and 70s.

So what does Alzheimer's 'look like'?

Alzheimer's Symptoms

Some change in memory is normal as we grow older, but the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are more than simple lapses in memory.

Patient's generally live an average of 8 years after diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease. However, some patients live only 3 years, and some live 20 years or longer. Therefore, in discussing Alzheimer's Disease, it is helpful to group the symptoms into stages that can be used to categorize the patient prognosis, rather than how long the patient has had Alzheimer's Disease.

Early-stage Alzheimer’s disease

Early-stage is the early part of Alzheimer’s disease when problems with memory, thinking and concentration may begin to appear in a doctor’s interview or medical tests. Individuals in the early-stage typically need minimal assistance with simple daily routines. At the time of a diagnosis, an individual is not necessarily in the early stage of the disease; he or she may have progressed beyond the early stage.

ST. LOUIS, Nov 9, 2005 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Washington University scientists in St. Louis say people in early stages of Alzheimer's disease have trouble attending to competing sources of information.

Some change in memory is normal as we grow older, but the
symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are more than simple lapses
in memory.

People with Alzheimer’s experience difficulties communicating,
learning, thinking and reasoning — problems severe enough
to have an impact on an individual's work, social activities
and family life.