Ivy Family Health Updates

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In this segment, Dr. Edward Martin discusses Alzheimer’s disease with his
siblings, Drs. John and Kathryn Martin.

Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia. It was frequently referred to as
senile dementia or senility. It is characterized by memory loss which interferes
with day to day function. With normal aging, we can all expect to forget some
things, such as where we put our car keys. But this is a much more profound loss
of memory, especially for recent events.

The major risk factors are age, family history, head injury, and low
educational level. It is rarely seen before age 40-50. By the time people are in
their 60’s, about 3% will have Alzheimer’s. As they get into their 90’s, almost
50% will have some memory loss.

Some of the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease might be the inability to do
taxes, forgetting to pay bills, getting lost or flustered while driving, and in
more severe cases, having difficulty with bathing and dressing. Frequently the
spouse or partner will help the patient with some of these tasks, so the rest of
the family may have no idea of how advanced the disease may be.

There are some medications on the market which may be of modest benefit to
patients. Other ways to help prevent deterioration are to increase physical
activity, increase social interaction, and learning new information to keep the
mind active, such as by doing crossword puzzles, or reading the newspaper.

To diagnose the memory loss, the patient is given a 3 word test. They are
given 3 words to remember, and 5 minutes later asked what the words are.

There can be different subtypes of the disease, with some patients becoming
difficult and aggressive, and others calm and passive. There is also frequently
a depression with these patients. It can be a very difficult situation for the
care giver since they often need constant supervision.