What Are the Three Stages of Alzheimer's Disease

Did you know that approximately seven million Americans are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease? This accounts for 11% of Americans aged 65 or older, as the risk of developing Alzheimer's increases with age. Alzheimer's is a progressive, degenerative brain disease that leads to memory loss, confusion, and loss of independence, and is also the leading cause of dementia. The reasons for Alzheimer’s aren’t fully understood, although a combination of age, genetics, lifestyle, brain changes, and more can play a role.

Although Alzheimer’s disease is very common, researchers have yet to discover a cure. Generally, Alzheimer’s progresses through three stages. This article outlines these three stages and their characteristics, addresses which sense is usually most affected by Alzheimer’s, and introduces treatment options to slow the disease’s progression and improve patients' quality of life.

The Three Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease

During this initial stage, symptoms are less noticeable and may often be mistaken for normal signs of aging. Many affected individuals even continue to drive or work, and symptoms may only be evident to close friends, family, or medical professionals. These can include forgetfulness of names, familiar words, recent events, and newly learned information. Although still largely independent, individuals might also struggle with planning, organizing, or handling complex tasks, as well as remembering where they placed valuable items.

In the second stage of Alzheimer’s disease, which typically lasts the longest, symptoms become more noticeable, like increased memory loss, which can include forgetting personal history, recent events or familiar names and faces. Individuals may also become lost in familiar settings, require assistance with everyday tasks such as getting dressed or cooking, and struggle to find the right words to communicate. Finally, additional symptoms can include mood and personality changes, inappropriate behavior, sleeping problems and a reduced attention span.

This last stage of Alzheimer’s disease is marked by severe symptoms and extreme physical as well as mental decline. Patients often require full-time care and may be unable to communicate clearly, recognize loved ones, or respond to their environment.

Individuals may also be unaware of their surroundings and personality, and behavioral changes become even more pronounced. On a physical level, patients with Alzheimer’s disease often lose the ability to walk, sit or even swallow. They may also become incontinent and highly vulnerable to infections such as pneumonia.

Which Sense is Most Affected by Alzheimer’s Disease

Although Alzheimer’s disease can affect all five senses, vision and smell change the most. While changes in smell perception can be considered an early warning sign, since they can occur long before any other symptoms, vision problems are often more severe and significantly impact daily life, especially over time. Although the person may have no issues with their eyes, their brain struggles to process visual information. This can result in issues with depth perception, as well as difficulties reading or recognizing faces or objects. Alzheimer's patients may also experience trouble with spatial orientation and even hallucinations.

Treatment Options and Outlook

While researchers haven’t found a cure yet, they are working tirelessly to improve the quality of life of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Luckily, some medications such as Aduhelm, Aricept, or Leqembi can improve symptoms or even slow down the cognitive and physical decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease. By providing new treatment options through continuing research, scientists are hopeful of further breakthroughs, so that, one day, patients with Alzheimer’s disease can live increasingly healthier and happier lives and, eventually, be cured.