Alzheimer’s, a disease that is no longer for the elderly only!

Alzheimer’s is no longer a silent threat for the elderly only because recently, there was news about a 19 year old Chinese person who has Alzheimer’s and started having memory disorders at the age of 17. The most important thing is that the cause is still unknown. Today, ACU PAY will take you to understand more about Alzheimer’s and how to take care of your health to prevent the risk of Alzheimer’s.

What's the difference between Dementia and Alzheimer's?

Dementia can occur when you get older. There is forgetfulness and deterioration of the brain with age, slowing down thinking and being less accurate in making the decision. Even if you forget something, if there is someone who gives you a little hint, you will remember. Things that are forgotten are simple but they will eventually come to mind.

Alzheimer’s is about forgetting something for good both general things or important things for living. The deterioration of the brain in Alzheimer’s is gradual and continuous, but it is very difficult to live a daily life.

Age is a risk factor that increases the likelihood of Alzheimer’s disease. The older you get, the more likely you are to develop Alzheimer’s. In addition, Alzheimer’s disease can be transmitted genetically, but it is only found in a small proportion, about 5 percent. Patients start to experience symptoms from the age of 50 to 60.

The causes of Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s is one of the diseases caused by deterioration in function or brain tissue structure, which is often found in older people. It is not a natural deterioration because older people do not necessarily have Alzheimer’s disease, but a deterioration caused by a protein called beta-amyloid, an insoluble type that when attached to brain cells causes dementia and atrophy. As well as impairing the communication between brain cells due to the decrease of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that directly affects memory.

The accumulation of beta-amyloid causes a gradual decline in brain activity, starting with the hippocampus, which plays an important role in remembering new information. When this part of the brain is destroyed, patients begin to experience memory problems, particularly short-term memory. The damage then spreads to other parts of the brain and affects learning, feeling, thinking, language and behavior.

Symptoms of Alzheimer's

There are many symptoms of Alzheimer’s because there are three stages of Alzheimer’s:

The first stage: There is an obvious forgetfulness. Patients will ask the same question over and over again and repeat the same thing, get lost, and cause stress, irritability, and depression.
The second stage: There’s more severe forgetfulness than ever, and begin to forget about what to do, where to go, or wander out of the house aimlessly. This results in high stress and changing behavior. If patients used to be polite, and calm, they can get more impatient, causing problems with their family and surrounding people.
The third stage: It is considered the most severe phase. The response to things around patients will be less and the health will deteriorate noticeably. There are eating and living problems that affect daily life and the people around them very much. The most serious is the weakening of immunity which can cause complications, and if the body is very weak, it can cause fatal infections that can lead to death.

6 ways to take care of your health to prevent Alzheimer’s

Since the exact cause of Alzheimer’s disease is unknown, the following prevention reduces risk factors that may cause the disease:

Eat five groups of food to get all the nutrients your body needs.
Avoid fried food and instant foods that are high in saturated fat and cholesterol.
Exercise and keep your body weight from exceeding the threshold.
Avoid smoking and staying in a smoky area.
Watch out for accidents that can affect the brain.
Have an annual health checkup and keep track of symptoms of identity diseases.

The disease, now known as a disease that can happen to everyone, no longer occurs in the elderly only. You should always check your health and take care of yourself so that you can have a healthy body.