Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, according to the Hong Kong government’s Elderly Health Service. Around 65% of all reported cases of dementia in the region are due to Alzheimer’s and it is on the increase, with up to a third of the SAR’s senior citizens aged 80 and older, expected to suffer from some form of dementia by 2050.
Common symptoms include confusion, memory loss, difficulty communicating, anxiousness and paranoia.
Dementia is marked by a progressive decline in cognitive and intellectual functioning, which includes memory, comprehension, language and judgment, such as:
- Reduced ability to take in and remember new information (e.g. forgetting events, appointments; misplacing personal belongs, repetitive questions or conversations)
- Issues with reasoning and exercising judgment (e.g. poor understanding of safety risk, inability to manage finance)
- Unable to recognise objects and faces
- Difficulty thinking of common words while speaking, hesitating
- Changes in personality and behaviour - mood swings, agitation, social withdrawal, lack of interest, motivation
Changes to the brain tissue, including the build-up of abnormal protein structures called amyloid plaques and tau tangles characterise Alzheimer’s disease.
While people may have difficulty recalling the names of acquaintances as part of normal age-associated memory loss, people with dementia have problems recognising and remembering the name of family members.
Normal age-related impairments may lead people to occasionally forget things, while people with dementia will forget them frequently. By the middle to late stages of dementia cognitive impairment will substantially affect sufferers’ daily life.
Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease - this means there is progressive brain cell death which happens years before symptoms appear.
It's thought to be caused by an abnormal build-up of proteins in and around brain cells which causes a decrease in neurotransmitters that send messages between brain cells.
Several factors are known to increase your risk of developing this condition:
Many people start to develop brain damage associated with Alzheimer’s disease as early as their late 30s though symptoms usually appear in the mid-60s. Once symptoms begin, it is important to see a practitioner and address them quickly.
Medical imaging, cognitive exams and other memory-based testing are essential for diagnosis.
Other illnesses can have similar signs and symptoms, such as Parkinson’s disease, depression or past strokes. These tests give both practitioner and patient a clearer idea of the path forward.
Our naturopaths test your DNA profile and your digestive functionality to identify factors which may be aggravating your condition, such as nutritional deficiencies, thyroid functionality, mercury toxicity and hormonal imbalances.
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