When grandparents show these symptoms, please be alert

September 21st of every year is World Alzheimer's Day. Alzheimer's disease is commonly known as senile dementia.

Alzheimer's disease tends to strike people between the ages of 30 and 60. But in most cases, the disease often appears in the elderly population after the age of 65. What's more frightening is that the average life expectancy after Alzheimer's disease diagnosis is usually only 8 to 10 years .

In 2019, about 50 million Alzheimer's patients worldwide will have language disorders after contracting the disease, such as speech disorders, disorientation , cognitive impairment, inability to distinguish left, right, east, west, east, and west, inability to name daily objects, abnormal mood swings, and even inability to take care of themselves, and gradually lose physical functions . When our grandparents show the above symptoms, we should be alert to whether our grandparents have this disease.

1. What is the cause of Alzheimer’s disease?

So far, no one has been able to explain the cause of this terrible disease. Our memories are judged by the hippocampus to be valuable and stored in the cerebral cortex.

Current research progress only shows that abnormal cell structure appears in the brain, which will kill normal brain cells.

Atrophy of other areas of the brain can cause Alzheimer's patients to lose the ability to judge whether a memory is important or not . The connections between nerve cells in the brain tissue gradually decrease, and important people and things will be forgotten. It is not difficult for us normal people to remember things that happened a few days or hours ago, but it is indeed difficult for patients to do so.

It is worth noting that Alzheimer's disease is not an inevitable result of the human aging process , but a slowly progressive chronic disease. It is necessary to go to a regular hospital for screening in a timely manner .

2. What are the daily care for Alzheimer’s disease?

When Alzheimer's disease is discovered in the early stages, timely measures such as drug treatment, blood pressure control, and adjustment of eating habits can slow the progression of the disease, prolong the patient's survival and enhance the patient's quality of life. Family members can also be mentally prepared for subsequent treatment plans in a timely manner.

To help patients remember in the later stages of the disease, you can place items in fixed locations, use a daily checklist or schedule to plan daily tasks, and reduce the number of mirrors . Late-stage Alzheimer's patients may not recognize themselves in the mirror and may feel confused or frightened. Keeping it convenient for patients and helping them maintain their dignity is what we as children should do.

Of course, patients themselves can also plan ahead for their future. For example, in order to prevent patients from losing their autonomy in the later stages of the disease and being unable to make accurate judgments independently, they can choose to plan their property distribution, care plan, treatment plan, etc. in advance.

Elderly people who are more likely to be targeted by Alzheimer's disease are those who do not like to exercise, do not like to socialize, have high cholesterol, and like to smoke and drink . Elderly people who have a rich life such as reading books and newspapers, making friends, singing and dancing, playing mahjong, etc. are not easily targeted. Therefore, regular exercise and social activities can not only prevent diseases, but also strengthen physical fitness, promote sleep, and help patients retain certain abilities.

In addition, the Mediterranean diet, which includes a lot of olive oil, beans, grains, moderate amounts of vegetables, dairy products, and very little meat, not only reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, but also makes people less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than those with other eating habits. Therefore, a proper diet structure is also very important.

It has been reported that adequate sleep, a proper diet, physical exercise, a good attitude, mental activity, and social communication can help prevent the occurrence of Alzheimer's disease .

III. Research progress on Alzheimer's disease

Recently, research on Alzheimer's disease has mainly focused on "How to detect Alzheimer's disease earlier? So that patients can receive earlier diagnosis and treatment." Among them, biomarkers have a high value in diagnosing and indicating neuropathological changes of the disease.

Professors from Capital Medical University revealed for the first time that blood neuronal exosome synaptophysin can be used as a biomarker for asymptomatic Alzheimer's disease, and that the detection of blood neuronal exosome synaptophysin is simple and easy to operate, which is of great significance for the early diagnosis and prevention of Alzheimer's disease . In addition, scientists have also studied specific targets for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, hoping that more therapeutic targets can emerge through biomarkers.

Relevant research is currently underway. Unfortunately, despite so many cutting-edge research, Alzheimer's disease is still a clinically incurable disease. We sincerely hope that in the future when technology becomes more and more advanced, Alzheimer's disease will be cured.