The 7 Stages Of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer's disease is a type of irreversible, progressive brain disease that attacks and destroys the brain's cells, which results in a loss of memory and other essential cognitive functions. The neurodegenerative disease is responsible for causing up to sixty percent of dementia cases. Contrary to popular belief, Alzheimer's disease should not be considered a normal part of aging as approximately two hundred thousand people under the age of sixty-five have been diagnosed in the United States alone. Symptoms of the disease worsen over the years and are eventually terminal. Here are the seven stages.

Stage One: No Impaired Behavior

A patient usually does not exhibit symptoms of memory loss or other cognitive impairments during stage one of Alzheimer's disease. The only way the disease can be detected during this stage is by a positron emission tomography (PET) scan, which is an imaging test that studies how well the brain is working. As the disease progresses into other stages, a patient will experience more changes in their reasoning or thinking.