Causes & Effects of Alzheimer’s Disease

Learn about Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurocognitive disorder that is characterized by a steady decline in cognitive abilities and memory. It is the most common and widely recognized form of dementia. Experts estimate that about 5.3 million adults in the United States are affected by this disorder.

The symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease often develop gradually and may not be easy to recognize when the illness initially sets in. However, even a person who has not had the disease for very long can have difficulty organizing his or her thoughts well. This might cause a great deal of difficulty in planning daily events or maintaining conversations. This onset of symptoms can be emotionally trying for individuals with Alzheimer’s and to others who interact with and talk to those individuals regularly. The brain physically changes as this disease develops, which can lead to unusual moods and changes in behavior that are not characteristic of the true personality of the individual. In the late stages of this disease, caregiving might be required as living alone can become impossible.

It is important that the family and acquaintances of a person with Alzheimer’s learn as much as possible about this illness and maintain a healthy support network. The Alzheimer’s-related changes in thinking and personality of a loved one are not easy to deal with, so understanding the root cause will help to soothe the emotional pain that could result. Moreover, good treatment options are available to slow down the symptoms and help to keep the quality of life at its highest possible level.

Alzheimer’s disease statistics

Between 50% and 80% of all dementia cases are related to Alzheimer’s disease, making it the leading cause of dementia. The chances of developing this well-known neurocognitive disorder increases as a person advances in age. In fact, experts have estimated that the risk increases by 100% every 5 years after the age of 65. Of all cases of Alzheimer’s in adults above age 64, 7% involved individuals ages 65 to 74, 53% involve individuals ages 74 to 84, and 40% involve individuals over the age of 84.

More females than males develop Alzheimer’s disease, with women constituting nearly 2 in 3 cases. In the United States, this disease is the sixth leading cause of adult death. Research is continually progressing to develop solutions.

Causes and risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease

Physicians and scientific researchers are progressively discovering keys to explaining this complicated mental disorder. Many potential causes appear to combine to produce the disease, and theories are still being tried and tested to better understand developmental risk. The following are proposed causes for Alzheimer’s disease:

Genetic Causes: A person who has a family history of Alzheimer’s disease is more likely to inherit the disorder, perhaps with as much as up to a 50% chance risk factor if it was found in one of his or her parents. This highlights the odds that a family heredity link passes this disease’s genetic mutation along from one generation to the next.

Environmental Causes: The risk of this disorder can also be increased by a negative environmental influence. Smoking, abuse of substances and poor diet may all increase the risk of developing the disease. Also, poor social experiences might create an added danger. Nerve damage is one reason that some develop this disease, according to researchers. The nerves are essential to inner-transmission of information and data storage, so damaging the nerves can cause cognitive failure. Depending on the area of the brain that has been affected, the results will differ- which accounts for Alzheimer’s patients showing unique symptoms. This also explains why people who sustain a traumatic injury of the brain are statistically more likely to develop this disease. 

Risk Factors:

• Having coronary artery disease
• Having high blood pressure or high cholesterol
• Having a history of a neurocognitive or mental disorder in the family
• Increased age
• Having Down syndrome
• History of head trauma
• Having diabetes

Signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease

Each Alzheimer’s case is different, and some people suffer from the disorder much more strongly than others. Some of the most common symptoms of the disease are indicated below:

Behavioral symptoms:

• Difficulty following instructions
• Losing everyday use items
• Being late often or missing social gatherings or meetings
• Becoming inexplicably aggressive
• Problems with social interaction
• Difficulty communicating
• Making delusional accusations
• Loss of ability to operate at normal speed
• Requiring assistance with daily activities
• Easily becoming lost, getting confused about location in familiar places
• Difficulty discerning time and dates

Physical symptoms:

• Loss of motor functions
• Eating pattern disturbances
• Poor nutrition from poor dietary care
• Loss of motor function in walking
• Loss of strength in muscles
• Weight loss or gain
• Changes in sleeping patterns
• Becoming dizzy
• Shivering and tremors 

Cognitive symptoms:

• Loss of facial recognition
• Loss of object recognition
• Becoming disoriented
• Becoming paranoid
• Developing delusions
• Experiencing hallucinations
• Loss of memory
• Impaired judgment
• Loss of orientation
• Becoming confused
• Loss of ability to focus

Psychosocial symptoms:

• Easily agitated or frustrated
• Becoming sad or depressed
• Becoming angry for no reason
• Having mood swings
• Becoming irritated
• Feeling hostile without reason
• Personality change
• Having thoughts of suicide

Effects of Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease can cause the following long-term repercussions if left untreated:

• Difficulty in verbal communication
• Loss of ability to communicate
• Feeling extremely isolated
• Becoming unable to function independently
• Permanent loss of memory
• Permanent loss of recognition
• Permanent personality disintegration
• Constant state or irritability and aggression
• Permanent disorientation

When immediate action is taken, improved quality of life can be maintained for a longer period of time. Also, treatment can be provided for any conditions that co-occur with the Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease and co-occurring disorders

Alzheimer’s disease is commonly experienced with certain other mental health disorders. If a mental health concern was present before Alzheimer’s diagnosis, it will most likely remain after the diagnosis as well. Alzheimer’s might co-occur with the following mental health disorders:

• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Substance use disorder
• Depression
• Anxiety