Eulalee Thompson

Persons in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease have been known to give away or sell, 'for little or nothing', valuable possessions such as land and real estate. Mental health experts link this behaviour to personality changes and impairment in judgement occasioned by the disease process. The disease progresses with memory loss, the patient may accuse the helper or other householders of stealing money and they forget the names of familiar persons, time, month, date and place of abode.

What is it?

Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia, is a progressive loss of mental function characterised by degeneration of brain tissue, including loss of nerve cells.

The disease becomes more common with increasing age, affecting about one per cent of people aged 60 to 64, but up to 30 per cent of those older than 85.

In Alzheimer's disease, parts of the brain degenerate, destroying nerve cells and reducing the responsiveness of the remaining ones. There are also abnormalities in brain tissue, which occur to some degree in all ageing persons but are more numerous in people with Alzheimer's.

What causes it?

The cause of Alzheimer's disease is still unknown. Theories suggesting that zinc or aluminum-containing cooking utensils play a role in the disease have not been supported by evidence.

Evidence-based research suggests that genetic factors play a role. The disease seems to run in some families and is caused or influenced by several specific gene abnormalities. One abnormality affects apolipoprotein E (apo E) - the protein part of certain lipoproteins, which transport cholesterol through the bloodstream.

There are three types of apo E (types 2, 3, 4). People with type 4 develop Alzheimer's disease more commonly and at an earlier age than other people; people with type 2 seem to be protected against Alzheimer's; people with type 3 are neither protected nor more likely to develop the disease. Genetic testing for apo E type is not routinely done because it cannot determine whether a person will develop Alzheimer's disease. (Source: Merck Manual of Medical Information).

What are the symptoms?

Some studies indicate that brain deterioration in Alzheimer's may be related to a loss of neurotransmitters (brain chemicals), particularly acetylcholine.

The first signs of Alzheimer's disease is usually memory loss. Check the website www.webmd.com where health experts make a useful distinction between normal and abnormal forgetfulness.

Examples of normal forgetfulness include forgetting:

Parts of an experience.

Where the car is parked.

Events from the distant past.

A person's name, remembering it later.

Where you left an object, such as your car keys.

Examples of memory loss caused by Alzheimer's disease include forgetting:

An entire experience.

How to drive a car or read a clock.

Recent events, such as forgetting you left the stove on.

Ever having known a particular person.

What is the treatment?

Initial treatment includes medications called cholinesterase inhibitors to slow the progression of the disease. Other medications can be included during the course of the condition; check with your doctor about these drugs. Caregiver counselling should also be part of the treatment package.

After the diagnosis

Consider your legal and financial matters. You may want to write a living will especially to assign a trusted friend to oversee your health care decisions.

Please send feedback to eulalee.thompson@gleanerjm.com