Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia among older people found 65. It is estimated that one in 20 people between 50 and 70 years suffer from this disease. For those older than 85, the number affected is 20 percent, and it is estimated that this figure will increase due to increased life expectancy in developed countries.
It is a slowly progressive disease, characterized by a progressive dementia with memory loss, decreased ability to perform routine tasks, difficulties in trials, disorientation, personality changes and loss of skills language.
At first, the person has difficulty learning and retaining new information. Then she begins to lose memory and has trouble remembering people and events of childhood or youth. Then other symptoms, such as aphasia, which is the difficulty in expressing thoughts through language.
Another symptom is what is called agnosia, which is difficulty interpreting familiar faces or objects known. The patient can not manage money or remember to take medicine, for example. It also tends to lose the sense of direction and ignores how to get home in case of going for a walk. Anyway, in the early stages of the disease may be feeding, bathing and dressing without help. But the personality changes, irritability, anxiety or depression, can cause serious problems in relationships with family and friends.
In more advanced stages, patients may experience hallucinations and irrational thoughts, and believe they are persecuted or that someone wants to steal their belongings.