Alzheimer’s disease

Dementia is a general term for a number of conditions that affect different functions of the brain, memory among them. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia.

Alzheimer's disease is most common in people over 65, but people under 65 can develop it too. It affects slightly more women than men.

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive condition. That means the symptoms come on gradually and get more severe as time goes by.

The first sign of Alzheimer's disease is usually minor memory problems. One example is a loss of interest and enjoyment in day-to-day activities. It's also common to forget recent conversations, events or the names of places.

As the condition develops, the memory problems become more severe.

Alzheimer's disease can cause other changes too, and some of them may worry you. These include:

• confusion, disorientation and getting lost in familiar places
• difficulty planning or making decisions
• problems with speech and language
• problems moving around without help
• difficulty performing self-care tasks
• stress and distress
• hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren't there)
• delusions (believing things that are untrue)
• low mood or anxiety

Doctors think Alzheimer's disease is caused by a build up of two substances inside the brain, called amyloid and tau.

As amyloid and tau build up, they form tiny structures called plaques and tangles. These make it harder for the brain to work properly.

Over time, Alzheimer's disease causes parts of the brain to get smaller. It also reduces the chemicals the brain uses to send messages from one part to another.

Eventually, the brain struggles to cope with the damage, and this can lead to problems with memory and thinking.

The damage also spreads to different areas of the brain as time goes on. The first areas affected are the ones responsible for memories.

Nobody knows the exact cause of Alzheimer's disease. But several things can raise your risk of developing it. These include:

• increasing age
• having had a severe head injury in the past
• in very rare cases, a family history of the condition

If you're worried about your memory, or you think you may have dementia, speak to your doctor.

If you're worried about someone else, encourage them to make an appointment with their doctor. You could offer to go with them.

Dementia isn't the only thing that can cause memory problems. Depression, stress, some medicines and other health problems can cause them too.

Your doctor can do a few simple checks to try to find out what is behind the problem. If needed, they can refer you to a specialist for more tests.

There's currently no cure for Alzheimer's disease. But there are treatments that can help manage the symptoms. Your doctor or other health professional can talk through the best treatment options for you.

There are things you can do to live well for as long as possible with dementia.

Your future health and social care needs will have to be assessed, and a care plan drawn up. This is a way of making sure you get the right treatment for your needs. It involves finding the areas where you may need some help, like:

• what support you or your carer need for you to remain as independent as possible
• whether there are any changes that need to be made to your home to make it easier to live in
• whether you need any financial assistance