10 Important Myths in Alzheimer's Disease

The increasing aging of the world's population suggests that Alzheimer's disease will be an even more important social problem in the coming years. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease that disrupts other mental functions along with memory. It is closely related to those around them because it brings the person to the point that they cannot maintain their daily life.

Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital Neurology Specialist draws attention to the fact that dementia, that is, dementia, is considered as a natural result of aging, that patient relatives ignore the early signs of the disease for a while by finding other excuses, or that reasons such as lack of information delay the diagnosis of Alzheimer's.

Unfortunately, there are many rightly known misconceptions about dementia and Alzheimer's in society. The neurologist explained the truth of this misinformation, which reached the "MYTH" point.

Myth 1: Dementia and Alzheimer's disease are the same concepts.

Fact: Alzheimer's and dementia syndrome are two concepts that are often confused. In fact, Alzheimer's disease is a form of dementia. So the word dementia is a broad concept. Diseases other than Alzheimer's disease are also included in this concept. For example, dementia associated with vascular diseases, Pick's disease dementia, Parkinson's disease dementia, Lewy body dementia…

Many other diseases fall under the umbrella of dementia. Alzheimer's disease is the most common of all dementias, with a rate of 60-70 percent.

Myth 2: Dementia or Alzheimer's disease means forgetting. Anyone with forgetfulness is a candidate for dementia.

Fact: Many people today complain of forgetfulness. Very few of them are diagnosed with dementia. In dementia, in addition to forgetfulness due to the deterioration of other functions of the brain, many symptoms appear. In other words, besides forgetting, language and perception disorders, personality changes, reasoning disorders, and loss of ability are also seen.

Symptoms such as forgetting the names of people or places where they live together, becoming alienated from the place where they live, not being able to find rooms and toilets, not being able to make judgments and not being able to take the initiative to bring the person to the point that they cannot live alone over time.

However, today, the real problem for most people who complain of forgetfulness is the attention disorder caused by the intensity and the inability to record the resulting information. It is not really a case of forgetfulness. A person searches for, cannot find, or remember information that they have not already saved. In this case, they think they have forgotten.

The forgetfulness in the concept of dementia is the irreversible loss of previously recorded and used information. There is no later recall for this information. Re-learning of lost information is not usually possible.

Myth 3: There is no cure for dementia.

Fact: There is no known cure for many diseases and Alzheimer's disease within the concept of dementia. But some vitamin deficiencies or dementias due to medications, certain brain bleeds, or increased amounts of water in the brain can be treated. The patient can return to their original state. The most important point for all of these treatable causes is early treatment without persistent dementia.

Myth 4: Alzheimer's disease occurs only with the elderly, a natural consequence of aging.

Fact: Alzheimer's disease is an increasing problem with age, but it does not occur in everyone who is getting older. As long as the person is healthy, the memory is fully functioning. Forgetfulness, which causes disability, is not a natural process of aging. Dementia may also occur in young and middle-aged people. These are called early-onset dementia/Alzheimer's disease. Genetic factors are decisive in early-onset dementia. It has hereditary features. Genetic risk increases if there is a person in the family who is diagnosed with early-onset dementia.

Myth 5: Alzheimer's disease is genetic and hereditary. The risk increases for everyone in the family if there is a diagnosed person in the family.

Fact: The contribution of genetics in late-onset Alzheimer's disease is very small. More environmental factors (toxic gasses, radioactivity, infectious agents, artificial foods, etc.) and other diseases constitute risk factors. The genetic risk increases as the number of people diagnosed in the family increases or the age of diagnosis becomes younger. If there is only one person in the family diagnosed with Alzheimer's and the age of diagnosis is above 65 years, the genetic risk is almost the same as in the community.

Myth 6: Prolonged exposure to aluminum products increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Fact: There is no scientific data to provide conclusive evidence. Although there are several studies, it is not sufficient to establish a definite cause-and-effect relationship. However, like all other metals and heavy metals, aluminum is cited among the environmental risk factors.

Myth 7: It is possible to prevent Alzheimer's disease if diagnosed early.

Fact: Unfortunately, it is not possible to prevent or treat Alzheimer's disease with medication today. However, measures can be taken to reduce the risk.
Measures such as Mediterranean-type nutrition, regular physical activities, good social life, continuous learning and cognitive activities, good sleep, and good treatment compliance with chronic diseases reduce the risk of Alzheimer's Disease. By the time a person is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, the disease may have started as early as 10 years ago, but it may have taken some time for it to become clinically noticeable.

Myth 8: Trauma to the head, such as accidents, forms the basis for Alzheimer's disease.

Fact: The risk here is chronic trauma to the head, as in boxers. Chronic trauma causes brain cells to die slowly over time. When the number of dead cells exceeds a certain level, the dementia picture appears. Memory problems that occur after a single and severe trauma are not called dementia. In this case, the diagnosis is made as post-traumatic brain injury.

Myth 9: Alzheimer's disease causes the patient's character to change, to become more aggressive.

Fact: Although it is partly true, sometimes the opposite is also seen. It is also observed that very angry and aggressive people can be docile and calm. Changes in personality structure may be the earliest finding, especially in some dementias. But the problem is that it is permanent and progressive. Temporary changes in temperament and temperament are a normal process that can happen to anyone. Therefore, the distinction must be made well.

Myth 10: Life is not possible with Alzheimer's disease. 

Fact: Although Alzheimer's disease is a disease that shortens life in the long term, the patient can remain in society and social life for many years. The disease can be controlled for a long time with supportive treatments that will increase the quality of life of the patient.

Alzheimer's is a disease that requires both the patient and their relatives to be together and in treatment. However, in a family with Alzheimer's disease, the quality of life, social status, jobs, and health of individuals should be taken into account. Only the patient should be prioritized and adults and especially children of productive age should not be neglected.