The 11 types of Alzheimer’s (and how to differentiate them)

 

Official data shows that almost 50 million people worldwide suffer from some form of dementia. Each year, 8 million new cases of these diseases are diagnosed, which seriously affect memory, thinking, comprehension, coordination, and social skills, especially after the age of 65.

And of these, up to 70% correspond to Alzheimer’s, one of nature’s cruelest disorders. A neurological disease with no cure and whose causes are unknown leads to severe memory impairment and, ultimately, when the brain can no longer maintain stable vital functions, death.

It’s a horrible disease, and despite being the most common form of dementia in the world, it’s not well known to science. But little by little, we are advancing in their knowledge. And one of the most important steps was reached in April 2021, with a study that showed that, at a clinical level, the progression of this pathology can be of four different types.

So, in today’s article, go hand in hand with this article and other leading scientific publications that you can check out in the final section of the references, as well as understanding the basics of Alzheimer’s disease. We will explore the specificity of the different subtypes of this neurological disorder. Let us begin.

What is Alzheimer’s?

Alzheimer’s is the most frequent cause of dementia and consists of a neurological disorder in which there is a progressive deterioration of brain cells. With this disease, neurons in the brain gradually decline until they die. If there are 50 million cases of dementia worldwide, it is estimated that between 50% and 70% may be Alzheimer’s.

The pathology creates a slow but sustained loss of mental capacity, which leads to the inevitable loss of social, physical, and behavioral skills. Some cases occur after the age of 65, and over time, the person is unable to live independently.

Alzheimer’s disease causes severe impairment of memory (short-term and eventually long-term), reasoning, sociability, physical abilities, speech, comprehension, controlling emotions, and behavior after several years of disease involvement, and eventually, when neurological damage occurs, even stable functions cannot be maintained, resulting in human death.

And unfortunately, the reasons are not known. We know that there are several risk factors (including even poor dental hygiene), but their exact origins remain a mystery. What prevents us from effectively preventing Alzheimer’s—and, as with other neurological pathologies, there is a cure—is

And, while there are medications that temporarily improve symptoms so that the patient can maintain their independence for as long as possible in the absence of a cure, there is no way to prevent the disease from progressing to a fatal outcome.Therefore, any advance in the knowledge of this disorder is considered a great success in the field. And now we are going to analyze one of the most important.

What kind of Alzheimer’s disease is it?

In April 2021, a scientific article showing a true revolution in the field of neuroscience was published. Four distinct features of tau deposition in Alzheimer’s disease have been identified; they showed us how Alzheimer’s can be classified into different subtypes based on its progression and symptoms, which, according to the authors, would make us think of a “typical Alzheimer” and would begin a clinical approach with the various entities alone.

But in addition to these four subtypes, we can classify Alzheimer’s according to its severity, onset, and associated inflammatory reactions. So these are the main types of Alzheimer’s that exist and can be differentiated clinically.

1. Limbic Alzheimer’s

Limbic Alzheimer’s, also known as subtype 1, is the change observed in 33% of patients with this type of dementia and is what we might consider “typical Alzheimer’s.” It starts late, and while patients with this variant do better in terms of cognitive ability, memory loss is more severe.

2. Temporary mild Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s disease is a temporary center, also known as subtype 2 or MTL, which is seen in 18% of cases and has the earliest onset, with special emphasis on executive functions.At the same time, it is, as far as possible, the least intrusive of memories.

3. Alzheimer’s later

Late-onset Alzheimer’s, also known as subtype 3, is the change seen in 30% of cases. The affectation occurs especially in the visual cortex. It is slower to run, and the start is too late. At a clinical level, it stands out for its detrimental effects on visuospatial abilities.

4. Temporal lateral Alzheimer’s

Lateral Alzheimer’s disease, also known as subtype 4, is the disorder that is observed in 19% of cases and is especially characteristic due to its asymmetry, since the left hemisphere of the brain is the most affected. Its progress is faster; it is highlighted by the damage to the language ability, and its appearance is especially early. With this release, we removed the subtypes described in the previous article. however, there is more

5. Mild Alzheimer’s

According to the severity of the pathology, Alzheimer’s can be classified into three groups: mild, moderate, and severe. It should be noted, however, that a patient with this disease will go through all three stages, as the slow but steady progression, though starting with the mild stage, causes them to enter the more severe stage.

Be that as it may, by “mild Alzheimer’s,” we understand that stage of the pathology in which the symptoms are so severe and, on occasion, even difficult to detect. These are the first manifestations of cognitive decline. Thus, although remembering daily tasks can be problematic, the patient maintains his independence and does not notice any serious clinical signs.

6. Moderate Alzheimer’s

Over time, Alzheimer’s disease, which started out mild, progresses to the next stage. By “moderate Alzheimer’s,” we understand that stage of the pathology in which the symptoms become more severes,” we understand that stage of the pathology in which the symptoms become more severe. Memory loss develops, problems with emotional control and sociability develop, confusion worsens, and although their physical capacity has not yet been damaged, they find it difficult to maintain their complete independence.

7. Severe Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s is a disease without a cure and without progress, so it is inevitable that the patient enters the last and most serious stage of the disease. By “acute Alzheimer’s,” we understand the last stage of the pathology, with the most severe symptoms that have a profound effect on memory, physical capacity, and social skills.

The patient does not communicate, has lost his memory in the short, medium, and long term, his physical capacity is greatly reduced, and he has already lost his independence. Over time, when the brain cannot maintain even stable vital functions due to neurological damage, death will inevitably follow.

8. Inflammatory Alzheimer’s

Inflammatory Alzheimer’s is that version of the disease in which, in addition to the cognitive and physical symptoms we’ve already mentioned, you see a high amount of C-reactive protein, a protein produced by the liver and inserted into the bloodstream in response to the inflammation. This can cause pain, redness, and swelling in various regions of the body.

9. Non-inflammatory Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s is not considered an inflammatory disease, although we have just described it as such. And it’s not always associated with elevated levels of inflammatory biomarkers like C-reactive protein.So it’s a case of “non-inflammatory” Alzheimer’s; it‘s not related to inflammatory reactions, but it may be related to other metabolic abnormalities. For example, the cortical subtype is due to a deficiency of zinc (an important mineral for cell division) in various areas of the brain.

10. Late-onset Alzheimer’s

Finally, we can classify Alzheimer’s into two types according to its appearance. Late-onset Alzheimer’s is one that occurs after the age of 65. It is the most common form of the disease since, in fact, 95% of Alzheimer’s cases appear (or, at least, show the first symptoms) after the age of 65.

11. Alzheimer’s starts early.

Finally, early-onset Alzheimer’s, also known as “early Alzheimer’s,” is the rarer variety, the one that appears before the age of 65. Only 5% of Alzheimer’s cases are diagnosed before this age. In general, these cases of early Alzheimer’s (appearing between the ages of 40 and 50) are due to strange genetic factors and certain heredities.