Journal of Sleep Disorders & Therapy
Open Access

Alzheimer's Disease: Symptoms And Signs

Giorgos K Sakkas^{* *}Correspondence: Giorgos K Sakkas, Department of Clinical Exercise Physiology, Centre for Research and Technology, Greece, Email:

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Commentary

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurological illness that begins slowly and worsens with time. It is responsible for 60–70% of dementia cases. The trouble recalling recent events is the most prevalent early symptom. Language problems, disorientation (including getting lost easily), mood changes, loss of desire, selfneglect, and behavioural concerns are all possible signs as the condition progresses. Alzheimer's disease is a disease whose cause is unknown. Its development is linked to a number of environmental and genetic risk factors. An allele of the APOE gene is the most powerful genetic risk factor. A history of head injury, severe depression, and high blood pressure are all risk factors. Amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and the loss of neuronal connections in the brain are all linked to the illness process. To rule out other possible reasons, a probable diagnosis is based on the patient's medical history and cognitive testing with medical imaging and blood tests. Initial symptoms are frequently misinterpreted as signs of normal ageing. Good diet, physical activity, and social engagement are all known to help with ageing, and these factors may also help to reduce the incidence of cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease; scientific trials to investigate these possibilities were ongoing in 2019. There have been no studies that demonstrate that certain drugs or supplements can reduce risk.

Affected people become more reliant on others for help, which puts a strain on caregivers. Social, psychological, physical, and economic stresses might all be present. Exercise programmes may be advantageous in terms of daily activities and can perhaps improve outcomes. Antipsychotics are commonly used to treat behavioural difficulties or psychoses caused by dementia, although they are rarely prescribed because they provide little benefit and raise the risk of premature mortality.

It most commonly affects persons over the age of 65, but up to 10% of cases are early-onset, affecting people in their 30s to mid- 60s. Women are more likely than men to become ill. It affects approximately 6% of adults aged 65 and up. In 2015, 1.9 million people died from dementia in its various forms. Alzheimer's disease is named after Alois Alzheimer, a German psychiatrist and pathologist who first identified it in 1906. Alzheimer's disease has a significant financial impact on society, on par with cancer and heart disease, with a 2013 study projecting a cost of $200 billion (equivalent to $222 billion in 2020) in the United States alone.

Signs and Symptoms

The earliest signs are frequently misdiagnosed as ageing or stress. Up to eight years before a person meets the clinical criteria for Alzheimer's disease diagnosis, detailed neuropsychological testing can reveal moderate cognitive impairments. These early signs can have an impact on even the most sophisticated everyday activities. Subtle impairments in executive processes such as alertness, planning, flexibility, and abstract thinking, as well as semantic memory (knowledge of meanings and idea links) can be signs of Alzheimer's disease in its early stages. At this stage, apathy and despair are visible, with apathy being the most consistent symptom throughout the disease.

Early Stage

The progressive impairment of learning and memory in patients with Alzheimer's disease finally leads to a conclusive diagnosis. Language, executive functions, perception (agnosia), and movement execution (apraxia) challenges outnumber memory problems in a tiny minority of people. A diminishing vocabulary and decreased word fluency are the most common symptoms of language disorders, which contribute to a general impoverishment of spoken and written language. The person with Alzheimer's disease is usually capable of articulating basic thoughts at this stage.

Middle Stage

Gradual degeneration eventually obstructs freedom, with patients unable to execute the majority of daily activities. Due to an inability to recall language, speech issues become apparent, resulting in frequent incorrect word replacements (paraphasias). Reading and writing skills are deteriorating as well. As time passes and Alzheimer's disease worsens, complex motor sequences become less coordinated, increasing the risk of falling.