When it occurs and how to identify Alzheimer's in young people
Alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia syndrome, which causes degeneration and progressive brain impairment. The symptoms appear little by little, initially with memory failures, which can progress to mental confusion, apathy, mood swings and difficulties to perform daily tasks, such as cooking or paying bills for example.
This disease is more common in the elderly over 60 years, however it is possible to occur in younger adults. When it affects young people, this disease is called early Alzheimer's, or family, being a rare condition and only happens due to genetic and hereditary causes, and it can appear after 35 years of age. Better understand what are the causes of Alzheimer's and how to diagnose.
Alzheimer's symptoms in young people
The symptoms in Alzheimer's disease are progressive, that is, they appear gradually. Thus, the initial signs and symptoms are subtle, often imperceptible, but they get worse over the months or years.
| Initial symptoms | Advanced symptoms |
| Forgetting where you kept objects; | Mental confusion; |
| Having difficulty remembering people's names, addresses or numbers; | Saying meaningless things; |
| Store objects in unusual places; | Apathy and depression; |
| Forget important events; | Frequent falls; |
| Difficulty in orienting yourself in time and space; | Lack of coordination; |
| Difficulty performing calculations or spelling words; | Urinary and fecal incontinence; |
| Having difficulty remembering activities that you performed frequently, such as cooking or sewing. | Difficulty in basic daily activities, such as showering, going to the bathroom and talking on the phone. |
It is important to note that the presence of one or some of these symptoms does not confirm the presence of Alzheimer's, as they can happen in other situations, such as in people with anxiety and depression, for example, requiring consultation with a neurologist, geriatrician or general practitioner for evaluate the possibilities.
If you suspect that a family member may have this disease, take the following test:
