Unable to balance on one leg for 10 seconds? Why people in their 50s should not ignore this

Although full understanding of what causes Alzheimer’s is not yet known, scientists suggest that a genetic mutation may be the cause in people with early-onset of the disease. Whereas, its late-onset arises from a complex series of brain changes that may occur over decades. The most common causes of Alzheimer’s include a combination of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors.

Scientists estimate that a skilled physician can diagnose Alzheimer’s disease with more than 90 per cent accuracy. The Alzheimer’s Association advises that you should seek a primary care physician as soon as you notice early signs and symptoms such as memory loss, losing the ability to retrace steps, etc.

A person suffering from Alzheimer’s may seem to be healthy but has more trouble making sense of the world around him/her. Some of the early signs of the disease include memory loss, poor judgment, loss of spontaneity, repeating questions, getting lost, losing or misplacing things, mood swings, anxiety and stress.

A study published in the Lancet Neurology found that healthy living can help reduce the facts of Alzheimer’s. The study suggests that some conditions in particular account for up to half of the 35 million cases across the globe. Some of the high risk factors of the disease include smoking, depression, obesity and diabetes.

According to the World Health Organization, smoking increases the risk of vascular problems which include strokes. Toxins present in cigarette smoke cause inflammation and stress to the cells which link to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Did you know exercising can help prevent Alzheimer’s? Health experts say that people who follow a regular workout routine are less likely to experience a decline in their mental functions and have lower risk of developing this disease.

According to the University of Sheffield, obesity puts a severe strain on the cardiovascular system of a person and damages the brain vessel’s wall. This further results in high levels of inflammation and toxicity to brain cells, poor metabolism and irregular blood flow to the brain. The damaging effects of obesity can worsen some of the mechanisms that cause Alzheimer’s disease.

Being complex, it is very unlikely that any one drug or other intervention will successfully treat it. Scientists are still exploring many avenues to delay or prevent the disease. Currently, health experts focus on helping people maintain mental function and managing behavioral symptoms to treat Alzheimer’s.

Globally caregivers spend over 18 billion hours each year caring for dementia patients. Projections from health experts indicate that the number of people suffering from Alzheimer’s is increasing rapidly and not just people over 65 years but young adults also suffer from this condition. In the US, Alzheimer’s ranks sixth in terms of leading disease to cause death. According to a 2020 report by Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India, an estimated 5.3 million people above the age of 60 suffer from the disease.