Alzheimer’s disease
What are the symptoms?
Typically, Alzheimer’s disease begins with lapses of memory, difficulty in finding the right words for everyday objects or mood swings. Mild symptoms may be a natural effect of aging, but in Alzheimer’s disease a pattern of problems emerges over six months or more.
Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease and in the early stages, a person may:
- routinely forget recent events, appointments, names and faces and have difficulty in understanding what is being said;
- become confused when handling money, driving a car or using a washing machine;
- undergo personality changes, appearing to no longer care about those around them. They may become irritable, apathetic or suffer mood swings and burst into tears for no apparent reason. They may also become convinced that someone is trying to harm them.
In advanced cases people may also:
- adopt unsettling behaviour, like getting up in the middle of the night, or wandering off from their home and becoming lost;
- lose their inhibitions and sense of suitable behaviour, undressing in public or making inappropriate sexual advances.
Finally, the personality disintegrates and the person becomes totally dependent or bed-bound.
Background
| What are the causes? 
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