Though there is no treatment to stop or reverse Alzheimer Disease, neurologists, on the occassion of World Alzheimer's Day that falls on September 21 every year, talks about how Ayurveda plays a crucial role in Vitamin D deficiency that can help managing Dementia as well as Alzheimer’s disease. Sunday Pioneer Reports
What is Alzheimer
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a fatal form of dementia which leads to progressive loss of memory and cognition. “It is a progressive mental deterioration that destroys memory and other important mental functions due to generalised degeneration of the brain. It generally occurs in middle or old age due to damage of brain tissues. It is a common type of dementia, a syndrome in which there is deterioration in memory, thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday activities. It is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people worldwide. The impact of the disease begins slowly and gets worse over time affecting quality of life and life expectancy,” Dr KM Hassan, associate director Neurology, Jaypee Hospital, Noida, says.
Also called Senile Dementia, it is a slowly progressive neurodegenerative disease of the brain that often begins in people over 65 years of age.
Causes
Damage to the brain usually starts a decade or more before memory and other cognitive problems appear. Brain cells themselves degenerate and die, eventually destroying memory and other important mental functions. AD damages and kills brain cells. Patients suffering from AD are usually older, but the disease isn’t a normal part of ageing. AD can be caused due to genetic factors, depression, head injuries, hypertensions, obesity amongst others.
Statpack
Every three seconds someone in the world develops dementia. AD accounts for 60 to 70 per cent of all cases of dementia. Worldwide, around 50 million people have dementia with a sizeable burden of disease in India with its ageing population. Nearly 10 million new cases come up every year worldwide. In India the annual incidence of AD among seniors aged more than 65 years is estimated to be approximately 10 per 1000.
Early diagnosis
Initial symptoms are often mistaken for normal ageing. It requires a medical diagnosis by a Neurologist and a comprehensive clinical evaluation and neuro-imaging to diagnose
“You must consult an experienced neuro specialist if you have a family history of the disease. They’ll take a complete medical history and conduct neurological exam, and review your symptoms. The diagnostic process may also include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), PET scan of the brain or computed tomography (CT) scans of the brain. There are some blood tests which can be help you to detect,” Dr Madhukar Bhardwaj, consultant, neurology, Aakash Healthcare Super Speciality Hospital, says.
Symptoms
People with AD mainly suffer from progressive pattern of cognitive and functional impairment. They usually present with decline in cognitive functions such as forgetfulness, difficulty thinking and understanding, mental confusion particularly in evening, delusion, making things up, difficulty concentrating, inability to learn new things, inability to do simple calculation, or inability to recognise common things.
“People with AD also suffer from behavioral changes in form of becoming aggressive, irritable, agitated, meaninglessly repeating own words; they may have personality changes in form of restlessness, lack of restraint, or wandering and getting lost; or they may suffer from mood changes in form of anger, apathy, general discontent, loneliness, or mood swings. They may have psychological problems such as depression, hallucination, or paranoia,” Dr Hassan says.
Stages of Alzheimer’s disease
Stage 1— No cognitive decline: People have normal mental functions with no memory loss.
Stage 2 — Very mild cognitive decline: People have normal forgetfulness associated with ageing.
Stage 3— Mild cognitive decline: There is an increase in forgetfulness, problem in focusing and concentrating, difficulty in finding the right word, decreased work performance.
Stage 4— Moderate cognitive decline: Decreased memory of recent events and difficulties in completing complex tasks efficiently. Patient starts withdrawing from family or friends.
Stage 5 — Moderately severe cognitive decline: People have major memory deficiencies and need help to complete their daily activities. Memory loss is more prominent as the patient may not remember their address or phone number and their whereabouts.
Stage 6 — Severe cognitive decline: Patients require extensive assistance to carry out daily activities as the ability to speak declines. There is a loss of bladder or bowel control & have little memory of recent events & remember only some details of their earlier life.
Stage 7 — Very severe cognitive decline (late dementia): People have no ability to communicate. They require assistance with most activities. They also lose psychomotor skills like the ability to walk.
VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY
Various studies suggest that people with Vitamin D deficiency are more prone to Alzheimer’s. Vitamin D isn’t only important for bone metabolism, calcium absorption and others, it also helps in the proper functioning of neurons and brain cells. In the old age, human skin’s ability to synthesize vitamin D from the sun decreases and gradually it affects ones cognitive abilities and memory.
Mohamad Yusuf N Shaikh, founder of Kudrati Ayurved Health Center, says: “The problem of Alzheimer’s is caused due to depletion of neuron cells in the human brain & leads to excessive memory loss & degradation of mental health. While other cells in the brain can regenerate themselves, neurons can’t, hence, the only way is to immune the surviving neurons against further damage.”
TREATMENT
There are no treatments to stop or reverse AD’s progression, though some medications may temporarily improve symptoms. “AD requires a multi-disciplinary approach under expertise of neurologist, psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist and primary care provider. Treatment consists of cognition enhancing medications and management strategies aimed to improve symptoms,” Dr Hassan says.
Both medical science and Ayurveda suggests that adequate Vitamin D synthesis in the body helps heavily in securing and accentuating the health of neurons, thus, preventing people from AD. An adequate Vitamin D synthesis in the body helps in proper production and flow of essential body chemicals like adrenaline, noradrenaline, and dopamine. The well-management of these body chemicals and calcium helps people in better prevention and treatment of AD. Vitamin D enhances energy levels, improves mental health, and reduces muscles & bone pains,” Shaikh tells you.
It gets critical for the family members to handle patients with extreme care, love and passion. “Caring for a person with AD may have high physical, emotional, and financial costs attached to it. The round the clock demand for care and changes in family roles are extremely painful and difficult situations for the caregivers to deal with,” Dr Vinit Suri, senior consultant, Neurology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, explains.