Alzheimer’s disease: Types, Symptoms, Causes and PET CT as diagnostic tool

Alzheimer’s disease is the condition related to brain which damages the thinking power, organizational skills, memory and learning power. This is one of the most common causes of dementia, which is related to degeneration of neurons and mostly related with the age. This disease destroys the neurons of the brain which eventually leads to the loss of brain functioning including memory and language. Alzheimer’s disease is caused by the deposition of amloid and tau protein in the neurons of brain and leads to the restricted functioning of brain. This condition is age related and various symptoms related to the condition include memory loss, organizational skills, loss in personality and behavior, loss of mental reasoning etc.  There is not any specific treatment for the condition but some medications can delay the occurring condition. There are various tests used for the detection of Alzheimer’s disease and these include blood tests, brain MRI, cognitive tests, PET CT, urine tests etc. PET CT is advanced test used for the detection of the condition, it is also one of the preferred test for the detection of condition. This test helps in easy and early detection of the Alzheimer’s disease, which helps in the management of the disease and limits the severity.

Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AZ) is the neurodegenerative disorder which destroys the neurons in the brain over the time. The condition is age related, when the cells of brain gets destroyed and damaged over the time leading to neurological conditions. People aging beyond 65 starts to see the symptoms and as per WHO approximately 20-40% of population experience dementia after the age of 85. Since AZ disease accounts 60-90% of dementia cases globally, it is estimated that approximately 12-36% population of people suffer from AZ disease after the age of 85. There is not any specific treatment but early management can helps to delay the severity of the condition.

What are the different types of Alzheimer’s disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is divided into 2 main types i.e., early onset and late onset with familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD).

• Early onset Alzheimer’s disease: This is rare type of AZ disease and can occur in the age group between 30 and 65 years of age. This type of AZ disease is related to the mutations.
• Late onset Alzheimer’s disease: This is the common form of AZ disease and occurs after the age of 65 years. It is not related to genetic mutation but more to the age related degeneration of brain cells.
• Familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD): This type of AZ disease is due to the genetic mutations in the cells of brain and passed down through families.

What are the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease?

There are various symptoms which are related to Alzheimer’s disease. These symptoms have different level based on the severity of the condition.

Memory loss of the patient and forgets

• Faces
• Name
• Facts and home

Reasoning problem and confusion which affects ability

• Long to decide
• Make plans 
• Follow recipe

Language (Makes a person hard to speak understand)

• Communication
• Mix and matches languages
• Wrong words chosen
• Speaking in language used most during growing up

Behavioral and personality changes

• Acts suspicious
• Frequent mood swings
• Feeling hallucination
• Trust issues with loved ones

Spatial Understanding (Finds hard to coordinate with the body)

• Bumping into furniture
• Having tough time picking something
• Struggling or delicate hand motion

What are the causes of Alzheimer’s disease?

The main cause Alzheimer’s disease is considered the protein build up in the brain that makes plague and limits the functioning of neurons. There are 2 types of proteins which build up and these are amyloid and tau. The production of these proteins buildup with time and attaches with the neurons and damages them. They block the ability of neurons to transfer electric signal which inhabits the normal functioning of the brain. Researchers are working how this protein build up occurs and what is the cause for same. But most researchers believe that the conditions start around 10 years before the symptoms start showing as the plague buildup takes time. 

Other risk factors that can lead to the condition of Alzheimer’s disease Include:

• Race (being black or Latino)
• Environmental factors
• Genetic mutation
• Having traumatic Brian injury
• Smoking
• Age
• Medical conditions
• Diabetes
• Cardiovascular diseases

What does PET CT scan detect in the Alzheimer’s disease?

PET CT diagnostic tool can detect various types of condition in Alzheimer’s disease and these include:

• Type of Alzheimer’s Disease
• Early diagnosis of  Alzheimer’s Disease
• Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease
• Severity of Alzheimer’s Disease
• Treatment effect on Alzheimer’s Disease

What are the different types of tests used for the detection of Alzheimer’s disease other than PET CT scan?

There are various tests used for the detection of Alzheimer’s disease other than PET CT scan. These include:

• Blood tests
• Brian MRI
• Cognitive tests
• CT tests
• Psychiatric and mental health evaluations 
• Urine tests

Conclusion

Alzheimer’s disease (AZ) is neurodegenerative disorder which destroys the neuron of the brain and results in neurological complications over the time. This is the age related disease and usually starts show symptoms after 65 years of age. This condition is more common after the age of 85 years. There is no curable treatment for the condition but disease can be managed if detected early. The main cause for the disease is the production of proteins amyloid and tau, which build up over the time and inhabits the electrical signal between the neurons. This causes damage to the brain and spreads to other parts of the body. Early detection is important for the management of the disease, there are various tests used for the detection of AZ disease and these include blood tests, urine tests, PET CT, brain MRI, CT etc.  PET CT is one of the most preferred tests because it can detect the condition at the early stages and help in the management of the disease.