Index
- A new treatment to treat Alzheimer's patients
- Symptoms of Alzheimer's disease
- The different stages of Alzheimer's disease
- A blood test for an early diagnosis of the disease
- An antibody for the reduction of cognitive decline in patients
- Medicines on the market to treat Alzheimer's patients
- How to effectively help Alzheimer's patients
A new treatment to treat Alzheimer's patients
A neurodegenerative disease, Alzheimer's is incurable. It leads to the destruction of memory and other important mental functions. In this sense, treating Alzheimer's patients is not always easy. Taking care of them is also a difficult task. Symptoms usually appear after the age of 65. The incidence of dementia is around 65% among the elderly. Health problems refer to an irrevocable decrease in the patient's mental faculties. These are all reasons why researchers are striving to find solutions to help them.
Symptoms of Alzheimer's disease
They are mainly cognitive and behavioural. But other signs may also appear, relating to mood, muscle movements, speech and loss of appetite. The patient is no longer able to think and understand things properly. He or she cannot concentrate, but above all, he or she can no longer create memories. They can only remember the distant past. Behaviourally, he becomes aggressive, irritable, restless, agitated. Mistakes are frequent. Sometimes familiar objects are no longer in their usual place and are found in incongruous places. Repeated forgetfulness in specific contexts: today's date, visits to children, a familiar place. It is mainly because the disease has an impact on daily life that Alzheimer's patients need to be treated.
The different stages of Alzheimer's disease
The symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are getting worse and evolve in 7 different stages. In stage 1, no impairment is noted. All functions are normal. In stage 2, the impairment is very mild. Some forgetfulness is felt. Stage 3 is the early stage of the disease. Mild cognitive impairment is noted. The person is unable to find the right word, to remember the name of someone they have recently met. They tend to forget information they have just read. At stage 4, cognitive impairment is moderate. The signs relate to different areas.
- Mood swings
- impossible resolution of mental calculations, especially the 7-in-7 countdown from 100
- Increasingly obvious difficulties in carrying out complicated day-to-day tasks
- forgetfulness of recent events
- forgetting the past
In stage 5, cognitive failure is slightly severe with the onset of reasoning and memory problems. There is disorientation, inability to remember an important number, and the need for help in choosing clothes. At stage 6, the failure is severe. A worsening of memory problems is noted. This is when the need to treat Alzheimer's patients is felt. At stage 7, cognitive failure is very severe. The person is unable to interact with others. It is almost impossible to control one's gestures or hold a conversation.
The various discoveries made by researchers to treat Alzheimer's patients Alzheimer's sufferers and their relatives find themselves helpless, especially at an advanced stage of the disease. As a result, many teams in the medical field are taking turns in research to treat Alzheimer's patients.
A blood test for an early diagnosis of the disease
Research by an American scientific team has led to the development of a blood test for the early detection of the disease. The disease can be detected 20 years in advance by measuring the presence of the beta-amyloid protein in the blood.
An antibody for the reduction of cognitive decline in patients
The Biogen laboratory has developed an antibody to treat Alzheimer's patients. A monoclonal antibody, aducanumab targets the deposition of amyloid plaques. It is one of the two forms of lesion in the brain of Alzheimer's patients. After testing, the patient's cerebral level has improved and his cognitive decline has clearly diminished.
Medicines on the market to treat Alzheimer's patients
Slowing down the progression of the disease in the brain is impossible, just as no treatment can cure Alzheimer's disease. However, four drugs are now available to treat Alzheimer's disease. They will mainly act on cognitive symptoms as inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase, the enzyme that deteriorates acetylcholine. They are:
- Donépézil (Aricept)
- Rivastigmine (Exelon)
- Galantamine (Reminyl)
- the Memantine (Exiba)
Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that ensures the proper functioning of neurons. The treatment will in particular prevent its deterioration. The effect obtained is thus purely symptomatic.
How to effectively help Alzheimer's patients
Given the various disorders affecting Alzheimer's patients, they will need someone to help them. The carer will need to ensure that the patient's well-being is improved, or else the Alzheimer's patient will not be able to be treated. To do this, he or she will need to preserve the environment. Their actions must be aimed at protecting the patient as much as possible from any risks he or she may be exposed to. With the patient's anxiety due to the disease, he will also have to reassure him. In order to communicate with the patient, he will have to speak calmly and slowly, meet his emotional needs and help him take his meals.
