World Alzheimer’s Day: What we should know about this disease

Every September 21 is commemorated in the world the day of Alzheimer’sdate in which it seeks to disseminate, raise awareness and make more known this degenerative disease that progressively attacks the brain and impairs a person’s memory.

Sheila Castro Suareza neurologist at the Center for Research in Dementia and Demyelinating Diseases of the Nervous System of the National Institute of Neurological Sciences (INCN), told the Andina agency that although to date there is no effective drug that modifies the course of this disease, it can be prevented if it can be detected in time.

However, it is necessary to know more about this disease that affects many people, so here we explain about it.

What is Alzheimer’s disease?

It is a progressive disease that begins with mild memory loss and likely leads to the loss of the ability to have a conversation and respond to the environment, they point out from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This disease involves the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language, severely affecting a person’s ability to perform activities of daily living.

Although scientists are learning more every day, at the moment, they still do not know what causes the disease of Alzheimer’s.

Causes and diagnosis

According to Dr. Castro, the Alzheimer’s It occurs when there is an abnormal accumulation of two proteins in the brain, one is known as amyloid and the other as Tau protein.

“For the diagnosis of the disease it is important to try to identify the first symptom, as well as to follow the progression of the other symptoms. For this, a reliable informant must be available as much as possible. It will also be necessary to request laboratory tests and neuroimaging that allow us to rule out other causes of cognitive impairment. details the specialist.

Who can get Alzheimer’s?

The symptoms of the disease can appear for the first time after the age of 60 and the risk increases as the years go by, says the CDC. Younger people can also get Alzheimer’s disease, but it is less common.

The number of people with the disease doubles every 5 years after the age of 65, and this number is expected to increase almost threefold to 14 million people by 2060.

On the other hand, researchers believe that family history, that is, genetic factors, may play a role in the disease. Alzheimer’s.

In contrast, there is evidence that physical, mental and social activities could reduce the risk of having the disease of Alzheimer’s.

Prevention

He Alzheimer’s It occurs as a consequence of multiple factors, of which the non-modifiable ones stand out, that is, they cannot be prevented, such as age: people over 65 years of age and those with genetic alterations (minimal effect).

Modifiable risk factors include low educational level, hearing loss, head injury, arterial hypertension, alcohol consumption, cigarette/tobacco consumption, obesity, depression, social isolation, sedentary lifestyle, environmental pollution, and diabetes.

These 12 modifiable risk factors are responsible for around 40 to 56% of dementias in the world.

Despite the great efforts made in research for the treatment of Alzheimer’sCurrently, there is no effective drug that modifies the course of the disease. However, it is very important to work on the modifiable risk factors mentioned above even when the symptoms of the disease have already occurred. The management of people with this entity must be given according to the evaluation of each person.Castro, for his part, highlights.

How is Alzheimer’s treated?

Medical management can improve the quality of life of people with the disease. Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. Currently, there is no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

Treatment addresses several different areas:

• Help maintain mental function.
• Manage behavior-related symptoms.
• Delay or slow down the progression of disease symptoms.

“We recommend that in addition to learning about the disease and the care that your loved ones require; They must also know that they must take care of themselves, ask for help and know that they are not alone. Taking care of themselves will allow them to better care for people with dementia, they must prioritize their physical, mental, and emotional health and have a lot of patience”added the neurologist.