Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a disease as old as man. It got its name from a German physician, Alois Alzheimer. Dr. Alzheimer was the first person to actually understand what was happening inside the brains of affected people.

He was treating a woman patient who exhibited symptoms of confusion, memory loss and had the unusual symptom of being suspicious of everyone around her.  After her death in 1906, he performed an autopsy and found twisted strands of nerve fibers in her brain as well as dense deposits on and around the nerve fibers.

In 1907, he presented his findings to a medical conference in Germany and described the changes found in this patient. This was the first documented case of Alzheimers. The disease itself is named for this doctor that first brought public attention to it. To this day the diagnosis of the illness is generally dependent upon the detection of these strands.

Alzheimer’s Disease History Continues

Since the beginning of Alzheimer’s disease history, there has been plenty of new studies and research that have been conducted. However, there is still no known cure on the horizon of Alzheimer’s disease history. There are even very few options available for treating the symptoms of the illness. It has been found that Alzheimer’s disease is often genetic and the incidence of early onset Alzheimer’s is actually increased by a genetic mutation of three different chromosomes.  In late onset Alzheimer’s, which occurs after the age of 65, other factors that increase the risk besides genetics include education, diet and environment.

As Alzheimer’s disease history progresses, there has been new research in exactly how these other factors can play a role in a person’s risk for developing this illness. Researchers are also constantly looking for medications and other treatment options that will slow the progression of the disease and hopefully bring a greater amount of quality time for families as a result. Ultimately, medical researchers are hoping against hope to find a cure for this very debilitating illness.

Medications are Discovered and Developed

In 1993, researchers found a medication that will help to slow the early stages of Alzheimer’s, called Cognex. Since that time, three other medications have been approved for use in slowing the decline of Alzheimer’s patients by improving cognitive functioning during the illness. The most recognizable of these is Aricept. All of these three medications have less harmful side effects than the original drug that was developed, showing a definite positive progression in the research occurring in Alzheimer’s disease history.

More research is being done and medications are being developed to help Alzheimer's patients function for longer periods of time. We need to hope and pray that a cure for this terrible disease can be found in the near future.

I first became suspicious my mother was suffering from Alzheimers when she struggled to find a normal word to say. That happens to all of us from time to time, but my mom was doing it in almost every sentence. She blamed it on her new dentures and used to curse her teeth for giving her so many problems.

Then she started to call me once a month when her bank statement came in. She would cry and be panicked because she couldn't reconcile it. And then insist I come over right away to fix it. This was a task she'd been doing all her life - so it was quite a change in behavior to no longer accomplish it.

Alzheimer’s disease can be a difficult illness to recognize at first because the symptoms of Alzheimer’s come in stages, and can progress over a period of many years. Early symptoms of Alzheimer’s are not always as clear and the symptoms in the middle and later phases, which become the classic symptoms that you often hear about. For example, the inability to recognize family and friends or the potential for wandering away from home and becoming lost. It is good to have an idea of what the preliminary symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease look like as well, so that you can begin to prepare for the illness as early as possible.

Early Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease

The early symptoms of this illness can surface a number of years before the disease progresses to the next phase of symptoms. These first signs can include a shorter attention span and a difficulty completing tasks. Lapses in memory, poor judgement and subtle personality changes can all be early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. You may notice that a family member is beginning to forget names more frequently, or that words don’t seem to come to them as easily in conversations. A patient in the early stages of Alzheimer’s may begin to put things in odd places, like his wallet in the dishwasher or socks in the refrigerator. Sometimes people who are beginning to show the signs of Alzheimer’s will appear more withdrawn, frustrated or angry than usual.

Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease in the Middle Stage

At this stage of Alzheimer’s disease, a person may begin to forget who family members are and get them confused with each other. The ability to follow written instructions fades, and even simple tasks like getting dressed can become confusing and difficult to complete. You may find that your family member will show symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease like confusion over the time of day or year. Urinary and fecal incontinence is also a sign of the mid-stages of this illness. This may become the time when an Alzheimer’s patient develops a tendency to wander and get lost, which becomes a huge safety issue for the family members who are caring for the person.

Late Stage Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease

At the end of Alzheimer’s disease, many patients will lose the ability to walk unassisted, and some will not even be able to sit up without help. Many will no longer be able to speak and will become completely incontinent. Because the act of swallowing can cause choking at this stage, many will stop eating at this point as well. Some will live with this disease for only a few years and others will survive for a decade or more. The average life span for someone with Alzheimer’s is usually around eight years from the time of diagnosis. For those caring for someone with the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, this can be a trying time indeed.

Don't be afraid to make a doctor's appointment for your loved one. Get them checked early if you suspect their memory problems are not just old age. Make up an excuse to take them to the doctor's office if you have to.

There's no definitive way to test for Alzheimer's. The only conclusive test is an autopsy. But neurologists have a series of questions and writing tests that can give clues about the memory problems.

Testing for Alzheimers disease is an involved process, in reality it may be more of a series of tests rather than a single test.  The reason for the complicated procedures involved when testing for Alzheimers disease is that it greatly resembles other forms of senile dementia.  There are several classifications for the different testing for Alzheimers disease.

Patient History and Physical Exams

A patient’s history can be a very important indicator of whether or not they may be predisposed to Alzheimers disease or other forms of dementia.  For example, if the patient had a parent and/or siblings that were affect by the disease they may be more likely to be affected by it as well.

Physical exams can help to eliminate other disease states that may appear to be Alzheimers or dementia.  These exams also help doctors to get an overall picture of the patient’s health.

Mental State Exams and Laboratory Tests

Mental state exams are small tests that help doctors to see where their patient is at in regards to problem solving skills, attention span, and short-term memory.  These tests can help to identify and problem areas.

Laboratory tests are standard when diagnosing many illnesses.  There are literally hundreds of tests at a doctor’s disposal, many of which may come in handy when testing for Alzheimers disease.  The most common laboratory tests are blood or urine-based.  At times, testing spinal fluid may be done as well.  There are new blood tests that can test for an Alzheimers gene with certain strains of Alzheimers.

Other Tests

There are a variety of other tests that doctors have had their disposal to help diagnose Alzheimers disease.  The chest x-ray is a common diagnostic tool used by doctors mainly to rule out other diseases that could cause similar symptoms to Alzheimers disease.  This tool shows doctors a picture of the inside of a person’s body with the use of small doses of radiation. 

A CT or CAT scan (Computed Tomography) takes multiple pictures of a person’s body from different angles very quickly.  These images are put into a computer which puts them together into images that show various areas of the body.  These scans can be helpful when testing for Alzheimers disease because they may show atrophy (shrinking) of the brain (a common Alzheimers indicator) or possibly other causes for Alzheimers-like symptoms. 

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) tests can help when testing for Alzheimers disease by using radio waves to show images from a patient’s body.  These images can reveal diseases like stroke or tumors that may cause Alzheimers-like symptoms.

My mother's neurologist told me she didn't have all the classic symptoms of Alzheimers and thought maybe she'd had a stroke or mini-strokes. She lived alone, so that was certainly a possibility. No one would have noticed. However, MRI and CT scans showed no signs of a stroke. I personally believe it affects everyone differently and you must be aware of changes in behavior and memory. Compare to how they were a year in the past. I think some people realize they are having a serious problem but others refuse to face reality. Family and friends are important in catching this early.

So, What Exactly Is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer’s disease, in short, is memory loss and ultimate dysfunction of the brain.

That is just a short description. It's not everything there is to know about Alzheimer’s disease. By understanding the main elementals of what Alzheimer’s is, you’ll be able to understand the medical aspect of the disease more easily.

Here’s the nitty gritty. Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that not only inhibits the person’s ability to remember things but the disease is also progressive in distorting the thought processes. It affects a person's ability to make decisions or even know where you are at times. In short, the person suffering from Alzheimer’s disease will experience slow deterioration of the mind. Hallucinations and delusions are not uncommon when the disease has progressed a ways.

With millions of people around the world suffering from this disease, there has to be a cure, right?

What Can be Done?

Unfortunately, although so many people do suffer from Alzheimer’s, there is currently no cure. Scientists are working hard on a solution but the breakthrough has yet to be found. However this doesn’t mean that there aren’t things you can do to help someone you know or love when it comes to alleviating some of the pain from the disease.

Understanding Alzheimer’s is the first step. In the beginning stages of the disease, the most important thing you can do is learn all you can about it. Learn about signs and symptoms, what to expect from the person suffering from the disease and learn to know that the disease doesn’t get better, it only gets worse. If you can recognize this fact and accept it, dealing with Alzheimer’s is all that much easier.

In later parts of the disease, you can keep daily diaries for your loved one and read it to them daily. Even if they’re at the point where they don’t remember much, reading them details of their life and the people in it works wonders for them and you. It’s a great form of therapy and a great place to start when dealing with Alzheimer’s disease.

I like to flip through the pages of magazines with my mother. We talk about the pictures in it and what different colors remind us of. I do most of the talking because it's hard for her to express herself. If there are recipes, I ask her questions about if her mother made something like that. She really likes to remember things her mother did so long ago.

Many people like to joke about when they forget something, they have "Oldtimer's Disease". Forgetting is normal - happens to young people too.

An early sign of Alzheimer's is simple forgetfulness. It can be hard to catch at first because everyone forgets things. This is not a problem, unless the forgetfulness becomes frequent and begins to interfere with day to day life.  The inability to remember is one of the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease.  Not everyone that forgets where they placed their keys is having one of the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. But when this is a chronic complaint, perhaps you should start paying attention. It is important to discuss with a physician if forgetfulness is becoming a problem.

My mother started with forgetting common words when talking - and she blamed it on 'her teeth'. She either couldn't remember a word at all or would say a completely unrelated one. I became fairly good at knowing what she was talking about and could finish sentences for her. She used to call me 'her translator'.

Another one of the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease is confusion.  Becoming confused about where a person is or what they were suppose to be doing is one of the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease.  Again, this can happen to people periodically, but when it is an on going problem it should be talked about with a physician.  Often, family members are the ones that notice the continuing pattern of behaviors in a loved one.  It can be helpful to write down how many times these types of behavior are occurring to get a real sense if there is a growing problem.

The early signs of Alzheimer’s disease can seem somewhat vague and not that severe.  An additional sign is having problems with language, forgetting words and becoming disoriented.  These early signs of Alzheimer’s disease can seem like part of the natural aging process.  If there seems to be a constant battle in remembering things, feeling disoriented and feeling confused, it is time to have a physician give an opinion as the severity of the symptoms.

Early signs of Alzheimer’s disease need to be monitored and taken seriously.  Check with family members to see if the behavior noticed is being seen by others, and again talk with a physician about the symptoms.

If your parent or spouse won't go to a doctor about forgetfulness, make an appointment and take them yourself. That's what I did under the guise of helping my mother to find a female physician. My mom got real mad at me when I started talking about memory issues, but it helped to buy her time and slow the progression a bit.