Alzheimer's disease is a disease that progresses slowly and inexorably. There is no definitive cure yet, although treatment may slow it down. Some rarer cases may develop with advanced disease symptoms in just two to three years, but most take about a decade to reach their final stages.
In many cases it is difficult to establish a retrospective date for the onset of symptoms, which hampers the assessment of disease progression time. It is known, however, that once the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease has been established, the patient's life expectancy is usually around five to twelve years.
What leads the patient to death is not the disease itself, but its complications, such as accidents and falls with cranial trauma, difficulty in swallowing (which causes bronchoaspiration, with possible pneumonia, and malnutrition), and bed restriction, which favors the infections and bedsores. Pneumonias and urinary infections are often the main types of Alzheimer's infection.
O treatment of Alzheimer's should ideally be multiprofessional (doctor, nurse and physiotherapist). The more attention the family and these professionals can provide, throughout the evolution of the disease, the greater the quality of life and the time of survival of the patients.
a) Basic care
An important issue for family members or caregivers of Alzheimer's patients is to keep them away from unsafe acts and situations. Since most people with dementia do not realize that their mental functioning is affected, they try to keep up with their daily routines. Trivial situations for most of us can be very dangerous for patients with Alzheimer's disease, such as driving cars, cooking, walking alone on the street or going to the beach alone.
Falls are very frequent, so the house should be prepared not to create "traps" for the patient, avoiding wires on the floor, uneven or slippery flooring, excessive furniture, etc.
Cigarette and alcoholic beverages should be avoided. Supervised physical exercise should be encouraged.
b) Remedies for Alzheimer's disease
Although knowledge about Alzheimer's disease is rapidly evolving, there is currently no cure for it. However, there are medications that can help alleviate some symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
Medications like Donepezil, Rivastigmine and Galantamine are called cholinesterase inhibitors and work by increasing the levels of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, which helps in communication between neurons. Unfortunately, not all patients show any improvement with these medications.
Memantine is a drug other than cholinesterase inhibitors. This drug is most effective and can protect the brain from damage caused by Alzheimer's, slowing the progression of the disease symptoms. It is sometimes used in combination with a cholinesterase inhibitor to optimize its effects.
It is important to have realistic expectations about the potential benefits of medicines. Neither of these remedies cure Alzheimer's disease or definitely prevent it from advancing. When the medication works, it is able to delay the development of the disease, prolonging the quality of life and the cognitive capacities of the patient. However, sooner or later the illness will cause severe dementia to the patient.
It may also interest you: Dementia: what is it, how to identify and treat it?
In case of suspected Alzheimer's disease (you or a relative / friend), a doctor (preferably a geriatrician) should be consulted. He will be able to evaluate in detail, through anamnesis, physical examination and eventual complementary tests, if this is really his diagnosis, guide him and prescribe the best treatment, case by case.
