What you need to know about Alzheimer disease

Did you know Alzheimer disease is the most common cause of dementia?

Dementia affects over 500,000 people in Canada, with about 25,000 people being diagnosed every year.

Anthony Levinson, psychiatrist and professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, explains that dementia is a “catch-all term” for describing specific symptoms caused by disorders of the brain that impact day-to-day function. There are many different diseases that can cause dementia but Alzheimer disease is the most common.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Alzheimer disease accounts for approximately 60 to 70 per cent of cases of dementia.

“Alzheimer is a progressive brain disease that affects many different functions of the brain,” says Levinson. “Including learning and memory, visual and spatial abilities and executive functioning – how we plan and multi-task.”

Some changes in our thinking and brain function are a normal part of aging, explains Levinson, as most people have mild age-related cognitive changes. These changes become worrisome only if they progress to the point where it starts affecting daily life.

Levinson says there are common symptoms to be mindful of, including difficulties following directions or getting lost in familiar places, behaving in uncharacteristic or inappropriate ways, becoming more forgetful or having consistent issues with memory or language.

These are all signals that there are changes in the brain happening. It is important to share these symptoms with a health care professional during a comprehensive assessment, he advises.

As Levinson explains, “there can be many different medical causes of brain changes and it’s important to assess for those and rule those out before making a diagnosis of a dementia, like Alzheimer disease.”