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Dementia is a broad term for neurological conditions that involve some form of serious mental impairment, such as memory loss, confusion, and/or personality changes. About 20 percent of dementia can be reversed, with the rest being irreversible and incurable. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of all cases. Alzheimer's cannot be reversed or cured.

The majority of patients with Alzheimer's disease live with it for eight to 12 years. Another form of the disease that progresses much more rapidly is known as early onset Alzheimer’s, which may also affect adults in their late 30s to early 40s.

In general, Alzheimer's is thought to be hereditary, but it may skip generations in a family. Alzheimer’s disease usually develops late in life, and due to its generally slow progression, is left undiagnosed for many years.

A degenerative disease, Alzheimer’s symptoms are categorized into three main stages:

1. The early stage presents with seemingly harmless symptoms. For example, someone in this stage of the disease may experience short-term memory problems. At first, these lapses may appear to be normal signs of aging. As symptoms multiply, managing simple personal tasks, such as cooking or shopping, may become difficult. Familiar places become unfamiliar, leading to feelings of disorientation and confusion, in turn creating depression.
2. During the middle stage of Alzheimer's, family members may start to notice significant changes and realize the need to organize 24/7 care. Anger, paranoia, inappropriate sexual behavior, hallucinations, and violence can be common in this stage. Questions or phrases may be repeated numerous times, and once simple decisions and activities become difficult. For example, choosing what to wear, remembering to take a bath or even to eat, become challenging.
   
   As the middle stage advances, there may be a loss of reading, writing, and arithmetic. In addition, verbal and spatial comprehension may decrease substantially. At this stage, the person with Alzheimer's may no longer consistently remember friends and family.
3. Late stage symptoms render a person with Alzheimer's nearly unrecognizable to friends and family. The patient may not be able to communicate, walk, recognize familiar people and objects, or even smile. Extreme weight loss may occur, and most of the day is spent sleeping. In dire cases, the patient will find it difficult or impossible to swallow and may suffer seizures. All of these symptoms are precursors to their final days.

Early Diagnosis
In July 2014, scientists in the United Kingdom announced a breakthrough in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. They identified a set of proteins which when present in the blood can predict the start of dementia with 87 percent accuracy. Early diagnosis is crucial in the treatment of dementia and Alzheimer’s, because most treatment failures result from symptoms appearing up to a decade after the actual start of the disease.

In January 2015, researchers at the University of Southern California announced their findings regarding the possibility of using brain scans to detect dementia even before symptoms become apparent. The brain’s protective blood barrier becomes leaky with age, starting at the hippocampus, a critical learning and memory center that is damaged by Alzheimer’s disease. Left untreated, this causes irreversible damage leading to a progressive loss of memory, cognition and learning. The USC researchers have found that it possible to detect these vascular changes through brain scans.

Prevention
Good nutritional and lifestyle choices, including nurturing brain health, may delay, slow, or possibly even help prevent Alzheimer’s. Evidence suggests some basic measures of prevention may go a long way.

• Healthy eating keeps the body in good condition. Minimizing the intake of processed foods, sugar, and sodium is likely to help the body as it ages. There is an increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer's among those who are obese, have type 2 diabetes and/or cardiovascular problems.
• Exercising for at least three to four hours a week and maintaining an active lifestyle can make a difference. Exercise helps keep the heart healthy and provides more blood and oxygen to the brain. Walking, jogging, and cycling are all good exercises to begin with. When choosing to play a sport for exercise, consider avoiding those that come with a higher risk of head trauma (e.g., North American football), as there appears to be a strong correlation between head trauma and Alzheimer's disease.
• Staying social is good for mental health. Some studies suggest that having strong social connections to other people in a community might decrease the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's.
• Mental stimulation is also important. Solving puzzles, doing math and reading are ways to exercise the brain.