Signs and Symptoms
Disclaimer: The information below regarding the diagnosis of AD is our opinion derived from significant research, however, it is not official expert advice. Please seek professional help to assist your care of someone with AD.
Alzheimer’s Disease is a type of dementia that currently affects over 5 million people in the United States. According to the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org), over 50 million people worldwide suffer from dementia (Alzheimer’s or AD is the most common form). Other causes of dementia include vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy Body, and Frontotemporal dementia. Although these forms of dementia may have very similar symptoms such as memory loss, emotional instability including depression, and physical deficits, they can differ in the degree of handicap, rate of progression, and response to specific therapy.
A common misnomer of Alzheimer’s disease is that it is the result of old age. Such an impression can result in delayed diagnosis and missed opportunities for early intervention. Although there is currently no definitive-simple cure for AD, there are drugs that may reduce the symptoms, and lifestyle changes that can slow down the progression.
Here are some common signs and symptoms of AD (they are listed from mild to severe):
1. Memory Loss
Memory loss is most commonly linked to Alzheimer’s and is a good telltale sign of pre-diagnosis. If there is memory loss that interrupts daily life, it may be the first symptom of AD.
Examples: forgetting appointments, misplacing items, depending on notes for reminders, forgetting new information.
2. Loss of Non-memory Cognitive Skills
During the early stages of AD, one might have trouble with their non-memory cognitive skills as well.
Examples: lack of spatial awareness, trouble with reasoning and/or judgment, struggling with word-finding.
3. Trouble with Daily Tasks
After the early symptoms listed above, AD will progress and result in difficulty with completing daily tasks, taking longer to finish the simplest of jobs.
Examples: getting lost, wandering, difficulty paying bills
4. Personality Changes
Personality and behavioral changes will appear with increasing frequency as an AD patient ages. They may stop participating in activities they love, lose motivation, or feel irritability and increased sensitivity.
5. Worsened Confusion, Memory Loss, and Processing
In the mid-stages of AD, patients will face additional cognitive issues as the brain takes damage from the areas controlling reasoning, language, processing, etc.
Examples: unable to adjust to new situations, trouble with recognition of friends/family (they may also suffer from hallucinations, delusions, or paranoia)
6. Inability to Communicate – Severe AD
During the later stages of AD, patients may lose the ability to communicate and need to rely on caretakers. As the brain loses control of the body, the patient may become bed-ridden.
Works Cited
Aging, National Institute on. "Alzheimer's Disease Fact Sheet." National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, May 2019, order.nia.nih.gov/sites/default/files/2019-05/alzheimers-disease-fact-sheet-508.pdf. Accessed 5 June 2020.
Association, Alzheimer's. "10 Early Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer's." Alzheimer's Association, www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/10_signs. Accessed 5 June 2020.
Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Alzheimer's Disease." Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2020, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20350447. Accessed 5 June 2020.
