5 Signs To Know If You Have Alzheimer's Disease
By siliconindia   |   Wednesday, 26 October 2011, 00:47 IST
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5 Signs To Know If You Have Alzheimer\'s Disease
Bangalore: It's ok to misplace your car keys a few days in a month, who doesn't? But repeatedly placing keys or such important items at odd places, unable to follow simple directions, getting lost in familiar places; all these are signs of an early Alzheimer's disease. A brain disorder more frequent in the older adults of 55yrs and above, it is a traumatic experience to live with a loved one putting up with the disease. Studies show that over ten percent of people over 65years of age and 50percent of those over 85 years of age are prone to the disease. Genetic being the main reason, other factors like high blood pressure, increased level of cholesterol, diabetes, excessive intake of alcohol/tobacco etc also amount to the disease. It is advised to stay connected, remain calm, exercise the mind and body regularly and avoid any heart disease. Below are 5 major signs to confirm Alzheimer's disease - * Loss of memory The first most common sign to identify the disease if loss of memory. It is difficult for the caregivers to realize it in the initial stage; the patients have a slow mild waning in the functioning of the mind. They tend to forget important dates; names etc and repeatedly ask for the same information. At a later stage, patients even get frustrated or start hallucinating things. * Difficult to perform day to day tasks It is normal for busy or absent minded people to leave the stove on and serve a burnt meal, once in a while. An Alzheimer patient finds it hard to follow simple instructions or multitask. Eg: They are unable to keep a track of a few bills, perform easy household chores etc * Perplexity with time and place Alzheimer patients get lost easily while they are on their own in a street and cannot figure out how to get back home. Ordinary people forget the day of the week, but realize it later. Over a period of time, they even forget seasons and other important days. * Language issues Slip of tongue, getting the wrong word out the mouth occasionally happens to everyone. Patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease have a tendency to use the wrong wrongs and do not realize the same. They forget simple words and thus make it difficult for others to understand. They might even leave a conversation abruptly and walk off without realizing. * Bad judgment People with Alzheimer's are not capable of taking minor decisions and even looking after themselves. They neglect their personal health care; forget to stay clean, wear the wrong clothes on a wrong occasion and find it hard to deal with monetary issues.

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