Alzheimer's 101: Understanding early symptoms, precautions and diagnosis

While no cure or disease-modifying drugs are currently available, symptomatic treatment is given to the patients

Dementia is a broad category of diseases involving the brain that leads to forgetfulness and reduction in the ability to think and reason. Globally, about 46 million people suffer from dementia. Out of them, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) constitutes about 50 to 70 per cent of all the cases.

AD is named after German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer, who noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who died of unusual symptoms of forgetfulness and behavioural abnormalities. This is a neurodegenerative disease and is progressive after its onset.

It usually affects elderly individuals after the age of 65 years with a majority of