Index
- Alzheimer's in young people, how to recognize it?
- Causes and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease
- Specific Manifestations of Alzheimer's Disease in Young People
- Consequences of this disease in young people
- Some precautions to take to avoid Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's in young people, how to recognize it?
Alzheimer's is an almost common disease in people of advanced age. The onset of this disease is promoted by the aging of nerve cells. It can also occur in younger people and has slightly different causes and symptoms than in the elderly. This disease can considerably disrupt daily life. Find out how to recognize Alzheimer's disease in young people below.
Causes and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease is defined by the scientific community as a significant impairment of cognitive function. This neurodegenerative disease progresses slowly and the resulting disorders can affect memory, language and executive functions, among other things. A disorder of these functions can only be classified as Alzheimer's if the symptoms last for more than six months. These disorders have an impact on the patient's daily life and the patient will need to be accompanied and assisted by another person. The need for assistance will become increasingly evident as the disease progresses. At an advanced stage, it manifests itself through memory loss, spatial and temporal disorientation, language impairment and behavioural problems. As far as its cause is concerned, Alzheimer's is only very rarely transmitted through heredity. But its appearance can be favoured by various factors. Among these factors, age is the most important. Statistically, the risk of having Alzheimer's increases gradually from the age of 65 onwards. However, this does not prevent the disease from appearing in a younger population.
Specific Manifestations of Alzheimer's Disease in Young People
Alzheimer's disease occurs in people at a fairly advanced age. However, so-called early cases can also appear in young people from the age of 30 onwards. Although Alzheimer's in young people is relatively rare, in France, there are more than 5,000 new cases each year. And unlike in elderly patients, the hereditary factor explains for many the appearance of this disease at a younger age. Approximately half of the cases of early Alzheimer's are explained by heredity, compared with less than a quarter of those over 60 years of age. The manifestations of this disease in young people are similar to those in the elderly. These include the appearance of behavioural disorders. On the other hand, young people with the disease do not suffer from memory loss, which is most often the reason for consulting a doctor. The first manifestations of this disease in young people can be :
- A language and communication problem: difficulty understanding and progressive loss of vocabulary
- Clumsiness: the patient can no longer control his or her limbs as desired. This makes diagnosis even more difficult, as it may be related to Parkinson's disease
- A problem of organization: the patient is disordered in what he does and in what he thinks
- A difficulty of spatio-temporal orientation
- A depressive syndrome
As these manifestations do not usually alert relatives to the young person's state of health, this has the consequence of delaying the diagnosis of the disease.
Consequences of this disease in young people
Alzheimer's is a disease considered to be a disease of old age. This consideration has an impact on the care and support of young patients. Indeed, age is a criterion for being eligible for certain aids and allowances. The very fact of being diagnosed as ill can be considered by a young person as an injustice. It turns out that these early cases require adapted care such as cognitive stimulation, the need for intervention by a physiotherapist, psychosocial care adapted to the patient and his family, especially his children. Alzheimer's disease in young people can also have a negative impact on work and family life. Being in the prime of life, full of life and ambition, they think about different projects. But as the disease progresses, it becomes more and more a handicap and disabling. Sooner or later, the patient will have to stop working and rely totally on his family and the help available to support him.
Some precautions to take to avoid Alzheimer's
Although the hereditary factor plays a greater role in the development of this disease in young people, it is not a fatality. Indeed, adopting a healthier lifestyle can help you avoid this disease:
- Eat foods rich in vitamin D and omega-3.
- Reduce sugar intake: Diabetes increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease by 65%. It is therefore important to monitor your sugar intake.
- Consume cinnamon from time to time: Cinnamon contains chemical compounds that can reduce the risk of developing the disease.
- Eating fruit and vegetables: the consumption of fruit and vegetables is to be favoured because of its effects on the preservation of cognitive functions.
- Watch your weight: It is statistically established that people who have developed Alzheimer's disease have a body mass index that is significantly higher than the average.
