UAE- Alzheimer's: Recognise the warning signs before it's too late

5/9/2016 3:37:31 AM

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Although the epidemic scale of Alzheimer's has no cure it is crucial to look at key warning signs and overcome the stigma related to the disease.

Doctors in the UAE urge individuals and family members to look out for warning signs noting that it is crucial to recognise them early before it's too late.

Dr Sudheer Yousaf said that the most common signs are those that show a great disturbance in one's language and requiring longer time to finish basic daily tasks.

"When a person forgets the meaning of words or has difficulty picking up the character of words this is a clear warning" he added.

Dr Vijai Chandran also highlighted that sudden periods of forgetfulness are some of the greatest warning signs. "When one begins to forget simple tasks names or places these should trigger as signs of warning." However he noted that although signs are common it is the issue of ignoring them or perhaps even denying them that affects the sufferer even more.

"Anyone who shows such warnings should immediately investigate the issue and visit a specialist who can perform an MRI to see if the patient has the disease or other related diseases.

"At least they can receive help medication and know what to expect" he added."We can't stop the disease nor can we reverse it but we can tell the patient what he will be dealing with. Not only that but the family will equally suffer as they too need to learn how to care for the patient."

He noted that although science has not yet figured out ways to cure the disease there are still options of medications which can help with the patient's memory as well as the emotional side that comes along. "There are a lot of medications out there some work and some not so much we are still at the point of trial. "It's bad I won't say it's good but at least it is not as bad as it was before."

Other signs to look out for include word-finding difficulties and having difficulty with visual-spatial areas meaning the sufferer will often get lost. Although there are growing awareness programmes on dementia in particularly Alzheimer's there remains to be a certain stigma and social isolation.

Thus UAE doctors are urging the society to overcome the stigma and listen to all warning signs in order to help the sufferer overcome the disease. Those with Alzheimer's may however not even realise they have memory loss which is a key problem itself said Dr Atta Alkaznaji Specialist in Neurology at Burjeel Hospital. The self-denial however may trigger aggressive and emotional behaviour overtime. "They tend to become aggressive and deny the illness in the beginning."

Dr Alkaznaji pointed out that those with "higher IQs and higher level of education will notice that he or she is forgetting recent memories" and thus will take action quickly.

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