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Alzheimer's Dementia Medical Negligence

Alzheimer's dementia is the commonest form of dementia. It causes a loss of social and intellectual abilities to the point where daily functioning is impaired with. The brain tissue becomes degenerated so that memory and mental abilities decline. Alzheimer's dementia is not a part of the normal aging process. The risk of Alzheimer's dementia goes up with age. Only about five percent of individuals get it between the ages of 65-74. More than half of the people with Alzheimer's get it over the age of 85.

There isn't any cure for Alzheimer's disease but there is treatment available that can maximize the quality of life. Family members need to learn to cope with the disease as it affects their loved ones. It can start with a mild memory loss and a bit of confusion but ends up with behavioral changes, severe memory loss, lack of reasoning and inability to learn.

The most common symptom of Alzheimer's dementia is memory loss. They often repeat things they've said in the past. They forget appointments or conversations. They misplace things, putting them in unusual places and they eventually forget the names of loved ones. Problems with abstract thinking occur, such as with mathematics, dealing with numbers and abstract ideas. They can't find the right word or words to express themselves, affecting reading and writing. They can easily become disoriented to time and place. They may feel disoriented in common surroundings. Judgment and problem solving become difficult to accomplish. Familiar tasks, such as cooking, become impossible to do correctly so they begin to learn the most common and simple of tasks.

In Alzheimer's dementia, there are personality changes, including distrust in others, mood swings, stubborn behaviors, social withdrawal, anxiety, depression and aggressive behavior.

There are no known causes to Alzheimer's disease, which is considered to be a combination of genetic, environmental and lifestyle changes. The causes aren't completely understood but it is known that Alzheimer's dementia causes plaques, which are protein collections of beta-amyloid which interfere with intra-neuronal communication. This is believed to be the cause of death of the neurons in the brain. There are also things called neurofibrillary tangles made of a protein called tau. Tau proteins are believed to cause damage to the neurons.

You have a slightly higher risk of developing Alzheimer's dementia if you have a first degree relative that also has the condition. Women tend to have Alzheimer's dementia more commonly than men but it is believed to be because they live longer than men. People who already have an impairment in cognition will have a greater chance of later developing Alzheimer's dementia. Certain lifestyles, those that also lead to heart disease, also lead to the development of Alzheimer's dementia. These include high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes in poor control. It's known that those who exercise their mind with things that keep their brain active can stave off Alzheimer's disease. Those who have a lesser degree of education also are at a greater degree of getting Alzheimer's dementia. No one knows exactly why this is the case.

The diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease can be done using a physical and mental evaluation. There are written tests that can help diagnose Alzheimer's dementia. Doctors also need to rule out other causes of dementia, such as strokes and head trauma. It is a disease that can only be truly diagnosed at autopsy because that's when the plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are seen on autopsy. Lab tests also can rule out vitamin deficiencies as a cause of mental deterioration. CT scans and MRI scans can be used to see if the brain is shrinking or if there is another type of disease causing the dementia, like a stroke or brain tumor.

There is no real cure for Alzheimer's disease but there are drugs that can be used to control some of the behaviors and mental symptoms found in Alzheimer's disease. There are two medications that directly attack Alzheimer's dementia. These include cholinesterase inhibitors, which change the level of neurotransmitters in the brain and help improve some of the Alzheimer's symptoms. It works in about half the people who take the medication. These medications have a great deal of side effects, including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. There is also a drug called Memantine or Namenda that protects brain cells from glutamate, believed to endanger cells in Alzheimer's disease. It can be used together with one of the cholinesterase inhibitor medications. It is used to treat moderate to severe Alzheimer's dementia.