The Latest Alzheimer’s Treatment: Can it Be Cured?

Alzheimer's disease often affects people over 65 years of age, which leads to deteriorating memory, difficulty in performing normal daily tasks, and the need for others in personal care matters. What are the latest Alzheimer's treatments? Can this disease be cured?

Alzheimer's and its stages

Alzheimer's disease affects the brain, causing increased damage over time to memory and learning, and potentially affecting one's ability to perform their daily tasks smoothly.

Alzheimer's goes through several stages:

Stage I: Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease

Changes associated with Alzheimer's disease begin 10 years or more before the onset of symptoms, known as the preclinical phase of Alzheimer's disease.

At that point, the patient has no symptoms, but imaging tests may reveal that beta-amyloid proteins are forming plaques in the brain.

This protein is thought to prevent the transmission of signals between brain cells and activates the immune system, leading to inflammation and damage to brain cells.

Stage 2: Mild cognitive impairment

12 - 18% of people 60 years of age or over have mild cognitive impairment, and the affected person may notice slight changes in their thinking and ability to remember things and may find it difficult to remember recent events.

These problems are not enough to cause problems in everyday life or normal daily activities, but those around them may begin to realize these changes.

Taking longer to think of a word or remembering a name may be a sign of mild cognitive impairment, and its signs may also include:

• Forget about dates, conversations, or recent events more than ever before.
• Difficulty in judging.
• Difficulty in carrying out tasks that involve several steps.
• Neglect self-care, such as washing and eating.
• Depression.
• Feeling brain fog.

Stage 3: Mild dementia

This is the stage at which doctors usually diagnose Alzheimer's disease, and if the disease stages are three, this will be the early stage. Memory and thinking issues become more evident to family and friends and begin to affect everyday life.

The symptoms of mild dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease include:

• Difficulty remembering newly learned information.
• Asking the same questions repeatedly.
• Difficulty solving problems and accomplishing tasks.
• Withdrawal, irritation, or uncharacteristic anger.
• Difficulty finding the right words to describe something or an idea.

Stage 4: Moderate dementia

Forgetfulness and confusion increase at this stage, and the patient needs greater help in performing his daily tasks. This is the longest stage and often lasts 2-4 years, and its symptoms include:

• Difficulty remembering the day of the week or season.
• Confusing family members and friends or confusing strangers with family.
• Forgetting personal information, such as address.
• Repeat preferred memories or makeup stories to fill memory gaps.
• The need to help determine what to wear for the weather.
• The need for help in bathing.
• Loss of bladder or bowel control
• Excessive suspicion of friends and family.
• See or hear things that don't exist.

Stage 5: severe dementia

Mental and physical functions continue to deteriorate at this stage, the late stage of Alzheimer's disease, during which the patient may suffer from:

• Difficulty communicating and using language.
• Inability to recognize familiar faces.
• Need help with personal care, dining, dressing, and bathroom use.
• Spend more time in bed or on the chair.
• Urinary or stool incontinence.
• Delusions and hallucinations.
• Difficulty swallowing.
• Show aggression, which may be towards those who care for it, due to confusion or fear.

The patient with severe Alzheimer's disease has a higher chance of dying from pneumonia because the loss of ability to swallow properly means that food and drink may enter the lungs and cause infection.

Alzheimer's types

Alzheimer's latest treatments help to treat Alzheimer's disease of various types, including:

1. Early-onset Alzheimer's Disease

This type occurs in people under the age of 65, often in their 40s or 50s when diagnosed with the disease.

It is rare as approximately 5% of all Alzheimer's suffer from this early type, and people with Down syndrome are the most vulnerable.

2. Late-onset Alzheimer's Disease

This is the most common type of Alzheimer's disease, affecting people aged 65 and over, and it is not known for sure why some people suffer from that disease, while others may not suffer from it at all, but there is the need to treat Alzheimer's for the elderly.

Latest Alzheimer's Treatments

Medications help relieve the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, and slow the pace of progress of the disease, but do not eliminate it once and for all. Among the drugs prescribed to treat that disease:

• Cholinesterase inhibitors: maintain the levels of acetylcholine in the brain, responsible for memory and thinking. As Alzheimer's disease progresses, the levels of acetylcholine in the brain decrease.
• Immunotherapy drugs: such as licanimab and donanimab, are drugs used to treat early Alzheimer's disease by targeting beta-amyloid proteins.
• Memantine: This drug is prescribed for moderate or severe Alzheimer's conditions. It helps alleviate symptoms and preserves the patient's ability to perform his daily tasks. It works by regulating levels of glutamate in the brain, whose increase may lead to the death of brain cells, and may be prescribed alongside cholinesterase inhibitors.
• Brexpiprazole: an atypical antipsychotic, prescribed to treat the rampage associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's Drug Names

Aljawaher Almotamyza pharmacies provide some medicines that help treat Alzheimer's disease:

1. JP Omega 3 (567 mg)

Some studies have suggested that omega-3 supplements may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease in some people, but the doctor should first be consulted before taking JP omega-3 to prevent Alzheimer's disease.

2. Redon 1mg/1ml 100ml syrup

Redon is an atypical antipsychotic and thus helps alleviate some of the symptoms associated with Alzheimer's disease, such as hallucinations and illusions, or seeing or hearing things that don't exist.

3. Dementil 5 mg

Dementil contains the active substance "Donepezil", which helps increase levels of acetylcholine in the brain, which improves memory and relieves symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

4. Exelon 1.5 mg

Exelon contains the active substance "rivastigmine" which helps increase levels of acetylcholine in the brain and improve memory.

Alzheimer's patches

Some patches help treat Alzheimer's disease, such as:

1. Exelon 10

Exelon contains the active substance "rivastigmine" which helps to relieve the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, the patch is placed on a clean and dry area of skin, and you should follow the doctor's instructions on how to use it.

2. Exelon Patch 5

Exelon Patch contains the active substance "rivastigmine", which helps increase levels of acetylcholine and then relieves the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, and you should follow the doctor's instructions on the method of use, it is used once every 24 hours.

Can Alzheimer's be cured?

There is no way to cure Alzheimer's disease, but drugs and other treatments may help alleviate the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, slow the pace of deterioration of the patient's condition, and improve the quality of his life.