Alzheimer's disease is a form of dementia, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), that grows increasingly worse. No cure for Alzheimer's disease exists in 2009, and the damage cannot be reversed.
Risk Factors
Age, a family history of Alzheimer's disease and a genetic predisposition are the largest risk factors of Alzheimer's disease. The NIH notes that being female, having multiple head traumas and long-term high blood pressure are other risk factors, though these are not as extensively proven as other risk factors.
Signs
The NIH states that the early signs of Alzheimer's disease include language difficulties, problems performing daily tasks, misplacing items, a flat mood, getting lost in familiar locations and changes in personality.
Misdiagnosis
The first signs of Alzheimer's disease are often confused with natural aging, according to the NIH.
Brain Changes
Symptoms arise from Alzheimer's disease due to changes in the brain, according to the NIH. These changes include neurofibrillary tangles (twisted fragments of protein), neuritic plaques (clusters of dead and dying cells) and senile plaques (accumulation of dying cells around proteins).
Brain Scan Results
The NIH notes that a brain scan done in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease may come back as normal.
