Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Life Expectancy In Alzheimer's Disease(Ad)And Dementia

By Jack Morgan


Dementia is an area that researchers haven't studied enough. Currently, there are 24 million people all around the world suffering from Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, and this number continues to grow everyday. This number is expected to triple, approximately by 81 million come 2040.

The symptoms are classified in stages in order to serve as a guide on dementia life expectancy and how an individual reach to specific stages and symptoms. These stages can overlap and fluctuate especially with the existence of other physical condition.

Age and gender are the main factors that affect AD and dementia life expectancy. There are many factors in the study that determined how long a person could live after being diagnosed with AD or other forms of dementia. These factors included age, gender as well as level of disability. The following are the main findings of the study:

Women lived for about 4.6 years after being diagnosed of dementia. On the other hand, men lived for only 4.1 years. Furthermore, people under 70 years of age lived for 10.7 years on average compared to those who were over 90 years of age and lived only for 3.8 years before they died. And patients who were frail at the time of diagnosis didn't live any longer than 3 years. The study concluded that the average life expectancy of a person who was diagnosed with AD or dementia was 4.5 years.

65 years old and below can expect to live 18 years longer after getting diagnosed with dementia. However, the study didn't look into what causes this shorter than normal life expectancy. In those who were 90 years and above, the shorter life expectancy was due to the fact that they were already advanced in age.

As for the younger population, the loss of life expectancy could be attributed to the fact that they changed their lifestyle due to the effects of dementia. They could not exercise or eat well anymore. However, that alone doesn't explain everything. In a nutshell, the research tells us how long these individuals can live on average, but we don't actually know why.

Even though patients can't change factors such as age or their gender after they get diagnosed with dementia, the study suggests that the level of care given to a person can significantly extend their life expectancy. People who take care of loved ones diagnosed with dementia must design a care plan and take advantage of any support groups and other resources available.

In the fourth stage, the person suffering from dementia may totally shut out to another world. They may be seen lying in bed or sitting in char and appear light staring in the aur or eyes closed. They may not speak or respond with others. However, the sense of touch is still intact. Also, hearing is still in good shape so, it is vital that you continue having physical contact or talk to them.

In conclusion, the life expectancy of elderly people diagnosed with dementia can't be extended beyond their approximate life expectancy due to factors related to their age. But that doesn't mean they can't be taken care of. They can also exercise their brains in several different ways.




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