World Alzheimer's Day: 10 early signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease

Memory loss, confusion, difficulty in reading +other warning signs of Alzheimer's disease.

World Alzheimer s day is on 21^st September.

The prime and crucial step in developing a treatment plan for any disease is through a clear diagnosis of the condition. This is particularly of great significance for a person who is at a high risk of suffering from conditions like Alzheimer s or dementia, as spotting the symptoms early plays a significant role in better treatment. Read more on are you at risk of Alzheimer s disease?

How does early detection help?

Early detection of Alzheimer s disease helps in improving the quality of a patient's life may prevent and even slows down the progression of the disease. Other factors like improving the overall lifestyle of a patient (eating healthy, leading an active life and weight management), giving up bad habits (like smoking and drinking) and staying socially and intellectually active can all be controlled early, helping in slowing down disease progression. Here are 6 tips to prevent the onset of Alzheimer s disease.

What are the early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease?

According to Dr Rajiv Anand, Director and HOD, Neurology Department, BLK Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi, the early warning signs of Alzheimer s disease differ from person-to-person, but can generally be categorised as the following ten symptoms. Here is a caregiver s survival guide for Alzheimer's.

• Memory loss: Usually related to any recent experience or forgetting family members, significant places (like their home), important dates and events.
• Confusion: With a place (that is very well-known to the individual), time, name of a significant person in their life, activities they have performed (like eating, bathing, etc.)
• Difficulty in performing tasks: People with Alzheimer's disease often find it difficult to perform basic or familiar tasks at work and home like cooking, shaving or arranging files.
• Challenges in solving simple problems: Simple tasks that the person used to enjoy and be adept at, tend to become difficult. Tasks like solving puzzles, easy calculations or planning can be baffling for the individual.
• Misplacing things: While this is a common problem most of us have, a person with Alzheimer's will find it difficult to locate things he/she kept in its usual place and will be unable to retrace their steps and find them.
• Struggling to socialise: Patients with Alzheimer's often find it difficult to follow or join a conversation and face a problem with vocabulary, be it speaking or writing.
• Difficulty in reading and vision: Usually these people have trouble visualizing images or spatial arrangements and suffer from poor judgment of distance while driving or color contrast.
• Drastic changes in personality: Sudden mood swings which include anxiety, depression, confusion, suspicion or fear are common symptoms seen in patients with Alzheimer's.
• Withdrawal from social activities: They usually tend to shy away from socializing, avoid get togethers or parties, do not indulge in their hobbies, sports or work projects.
• Repetition of words: People with Alzheimer's tend to have difficulty with cognition and thinking, therefore another very common symptom is their inability to remember names (forgetting them is also a symptom), problems in managing work schedules and repetition of words.

Can Alzheimer s affect a person below 60 years?

Alzheimer s can affect a person below 60 years of age. In case it affects any individual at a younger age, the chances of it being familial (heredity) are high. Once symptoms are detected it is best to consult a doctor (a neurologist or a physiologist). The doctor may evaluate a person for memory and behavioural problems to confirm the diagnosis of Alzheimer s disease.

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