Is all dementia Alzheimer's? Understand the condition and symptoms

Most cases occur in the elderly. The main risk factor is age, as well as lack of control of diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. Diagnoses begin at around 65 years of age and, from then on, the likelihood of major neurocognitive disorder doubles every five years.

What is Alzheimer's?

The most noticeable symptoms are memory problems and difficulty acquiring new knowledge. The hippocampus is the main part of the brain affected. It is responsible for storing new information, so at the beginning of the disease the patient still has memories from years ago, but forgets what he did yesterday, for example.

Symptoms worsen over time. It is common for patients to have difficulty with language (they know what an object is for, but cannot name it), or to suffer from disorientation of time and space (getting lost in familiar environments and having no idea what time they are doing activities).

Evolution also tends to bring about a loss of independence. In addition, there is insomnia, agitation, resistance to performing simple tasks such as brushing teeth, loss of the ability to control bodily stimuli, difficulty eating and progressive motor impairment. In the terminal stage, there is practically complete loss of memory, in addition to total dependence on others for any activity.