World Alzheimer’s Day: Early signs of Alzheimer’s disease

The realization that something is wrong often comes gradually to the person and his or her family. (Representational image: Reuters)

By Dr.Prem Narsimhan Naganath,

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Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common type of Dementia .Its first signs can vary in different people .Memory loss problems are usually the first signs seen in Alzheimer’s Disease. Alzheimer’s disease progresses in several stages: preclinical, mild (sometimes called early-stage), moderate, and severe (sometimes called late-stage).

In the initial stages of Alzheimer’s disease, a person may seem to be healthy but has more and more trouble making sense of the world around him or her. The realization that something is wrong often comes gradually to the person and his or her family

The signs include :

1.Memory Loss

This is one of the common signs, especially in the early stages.The person tends to forget recently learned information.These include forgetting names of people,important events or dates, asking the same questions many times over and getting increasingly dependent on memory aids (reminders or electronic devices) or family members for tasks they used to do themselves earlier.(like household work)

2.Difficulty in completing daily tasks

They might find it very hard to complete daily tasks .There might be trouble in going to familiar locations ,organizing a grocery list, remembering the rules of a game or difficulty in handling the basic functions of a TV.

3.Challenges in planning or solving problems

Some people living with dementia may experience changes in their ability to develop and follow a plan or work with numbers. They may have trouble following a familiar recipe to make the dish or keeping track of monthly bills and forget to pay them. They may have difficulty concentrating ,take longer time to process and do things than they did before.

4.Confusion with time and place

There is a tendency to lose track of dates ,days, seasons and passage of time .They might have a difficulty in understanding something which is not happening immediately .Sometimes they can forget where they are or how they got there .

5.Trouble in understanding visual and spatial relationships

Sometimes, having vision problems is a sign of Alzheimer’s. This may lead to imbalance or trouble reading. They may also have problems judging distance and determining colour or contrast, causing issues with driving(including navigating directions)

6.Problems in speaking or writing

There can be difficulty in understanding or joining a conversation.They might stop in the middle of any conversation with no idea how to continue or just keep repeating themselves .Difficulty in naming a familiar object or using the wrong name.

7.Misplacing things and inability to retrace

This might include putting things in unusual places.Losing things and inability to trace back how to find them.

8.Decreased or Poor judgement

Individuals may experience changes in judgment or decision-making. For example, they may use poor judgment when dealing with money or pay less attention to grooming or keeping themselves clean and lose their sense of hygiene

9.Social withdrawal

As the person faces difficulty it holding or following a conversation, they may withdraw from hobbies, participating in social activities and other engagements

10.Changes in mood and personality

They can become confused, suspicious, depressed, fearful, or anxious. They may be easily upset at home, with friends or when out of their comfort zone.

Early detection of Alzheimer’s disease is very important .

(The author is Consultant Geriatric Medicine Specialist at Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai. The article is for informational purposes only. Please consult medical experts and health professionals before starting any therapy, medication and/or remedy. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the Financial Express Online.)