The late awareness of the Alzheimer’s disease’s early stage symptoms can lead to worse condition more quickly. Therefore, although there is no cure for the disease, it is advisable to get medication as fast as possible when the symptoms appear. Early medication is able to help reduce the symptoms temporarily or slow its progression.
Here are the main treatments available for Alzheimer’s disease:
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Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) Inhibitors
Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors medicine is used to escalate the levels of acetylcholine in the brain. Acetylcholine is a substance that works to ease communication between nerve cells. You can get prescription of Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors from neurologists or psychiatrists only.
The example of Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) medicines are rivastigmine, donepezil and galantamine. These medicines are given to people who are in the mild to Alzheimer’s disease. In some condition, these medicines also prescribed by specialists for severe stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
Some people may experience side effects from consuming this medicine. Common side effects are vomiting, nausea or loss of appetite. If the side effects don’t get better in 2 weeks, you should consult with the specialists.
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Memantine
Memantine is used to block the effect of glutamate in the brain cells, which can moderate the severe symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Glutamate is chemical substance that has so many receptors in the brain cell. The excessive amount of glutamate can increase the activity of receptors in the brain cells which lead to fatality of brain cells.
Memantine is prescribed for people who cannot tolerate AChE inhibitors. Sometimes, specialists also prescribed memantine for Alzheimer’s disease patients who have severe symptoms and already take AChE inhibitors. In several cases, memantine can cause temporary side effects such as constipation, headaches and dizziness.
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Medications for Challenging Behavior
Many Alzheimer’s disease patients develop the condition which is known as BPSD (behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia). People with BPSD show symptoms such as anxiety, aggression, increased agitation, delusions, wandering and hallucinations. These challenging behaviors are very distressing for the patients and their care takers.
In order to treat BPSD, psychiatrists may prescribe medicine such as haloperidol, risperidone, or antipsychotic medicines. These medications are prescribed for people who show extreme distress and persistent aggression. Since risperidone can cause harm and serious side effects, it only prescribes with the lowest dose possible.
If anxiety is caused by depression, specialists may prescribe antidepressants. In certain condition where other treatments don’t help, haloperidol is prescribed by consultant psychiatrist.
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Therapies
The usage of medicines, treatments such as therapies can also be given to help reduce the symptoms. Cognitive stimulation therapy and cognitive rehabilitation are several type of therapies that are given to help people with Alzheimer’s disease in improving memory and cognitive abilities.
To help people with Alzheimer’s disease remember their past life, reminiscence and life story work therapy can be given by trained professional and care taker. This therapy involves activities of talking or seeing things that can help people remember their life. It involves compilation of photos, notes or music collections. Research shows that this activity can help in improving mood.
Things You Should Know to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
Until now, researchers are still not sure about factor that causes Alzheimer’s disease. Age and family history are only several factors that known related to the increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Although the exact factor that triggers Alzheimer’s disease is still unknown, it is better for you to know ways to prevent Alzheimer’s disease from the early age.
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Do Exercise Regularly
Research has found evidence that doing exercise regularly is able to reduce the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, it is advisable to do physical exercise for about 30 minutes a day. If this recommendation is too difficult for you, just pick aerobic exercise that you can do for at least three to four day in a week.
Doing regular exercise is good not only for people who have not developed any symptoms toward Alzheimer’s disease, but also for those who have shown any symptoms. Being physically active also can make people socially active since most of the physical exercises have to be done outside. Thus, you can maintain an active social life when you go outside.
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Eat Healthy and Good Food
Eat healthy and good food is good not only for your heart, but also for your brain. Eating a healthy diet can help you prevent many degenerative illness. Now, it looks like that getting a good food is also able to prevent Alzheimer’s disease as well as reduce the symptoms for those who have developed the disease.
The evidence has shown that eating a good and natural food is able to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease for about a third. The probability of lowering Alzheimer’s disease risk is higher for those who follow MIND diet strictly.
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Healthy Lifestyle to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease
The recent evidence has shown strong correlation between an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease for people who have cardiovascular disease. Therefore, it is very important for you to have healthy lifestyle which can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease as it will also lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Here are some healthy lifestyles that contribute to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease:
- Stop smoking and drinking alcohol
- Consuming balanced and healthy diet that includes five portions of vegetables and fruit
- Do physical exercise at least 150 minutes every week that include aerobic activity
- Control your blood pressure by taking health test regularly.
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Learn New Things
Although there is still not enough evidence about the correlation between learning new things with lowering the risk of dementia, but research has found that this activity is very beneficial to train your brain to think.
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Get Good Sleep
Good sleep talks about the quantity and the quality of your sleep. The evidence has shown that getting good quality and enough sleep is able to help people prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Otherwise, people who have good sleep have more amyloid clearance from their brain cells.
The Risk Factors of Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease has affected many people around the world, but scientists are not yet understanding the causal factors of this disease. Recently, we only know that the abnormal condition in the brain cells, called as amyloid and tau which are deposited around and within brain cells, leads to Alzheimer’s symptoms.
Here are several factors that can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease:
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Genetics and Family History
Genetics and family history have a role in increasing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The risk will be higher for those who have close relative such as siblings and parents who experience Alzheimer. Although genetic factor is known as one of the risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists have not known the genetic mechanisms that cause the disease.
In some families, inheritance of a single gene is able to increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. It is better for those who have close relatives that developed Alzheimer, go to genetic counselling to get advice about the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
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Age
Although for about 10% of younger people are also at risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease. But the probability of developing Alzheimer’s increase as people grow older. Therefore, age factor is known as the biggest risk factor for the disease. However, research has shown that about 1 in 20 people who are under 65, have this disease.
The probability of developing Alzheimer’s symptoms will be doubled each five years after people have reached 65. But, since age is only one of the risk factors of developing Alzheimer’s disease, there are also many older people with age 90s still have good memories and never develop dementia.
This condition is related to the fact that as people grow older, the brain cells’ functions will decline which contribute to the neurons issues in the brain cells. The age – related changes in brain cells may cause inflammation, production of free radicals in brain cells, shrinking parts of the brain and so on.
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Head Injuries
Although this claim is still need further research, but in several cases http://68.183.181.185, people who had experienced severe head injury are at higher risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease compare to those who never experienced several head trauma.
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Poor Sleep Condition
Research has shown that the issues of poor sleep condition might be correlated to the increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Poor sleep condition or patterns are such as the difficulty of staying asleep or falling asleep.
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Lifestyle Factors
Although this finding still needs further research, but in some cases. People with poor lifestyle have higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease rather than people with healthy lifestyle. Lack of exercise, smoking or regularly being exposed to smoke, and obesity are known as risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease.