There are different stages of Alzheimer’s disease and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease advance slowly over many years.
The most common symptom of Alzheimer’s disease in its earlier stages is mild memory loss that disrupts everyday life, such as misplacing items, forgetting names and asking the same questions repetitively. Changes in behavior, like not wanting to see friends or family or withdrawing from social events, are also symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in its earlier stages.
The earlier stages of Alzheimer’s disease include:
Cognitively unimpaired Alzheimer’s disease: No noticeable cognitive symptoms, but biological changes in the brain may be present.
Early-stage Alzheimer’s with mild cognitive impairment (MCI): Memory loss can be noticeable, but independent living (the ability to do household chores, driving, keeping up with personal care) is still possible. Help may be needed for complicated tasks like managing medications and finances.
Early-stage Alzheimer’s with mild dementia: Changes in cognitive function and behavior start to affect everyday life. Help may be needed for activities of daily functioning. Common symptoms of early-stage Alzheimer’s with mild dementia include difficulty finding the right words, frequent memory lapses, and misplacing or losing items more frequently.
As Alzheimer’s progresses into its moderate stages, damage to nerve cells in the brain makes it difficult to communicate thoughts and feelings and perform everyday activities without help.
Other symptoms of Alzheimer’s in its moderate stages can include:
- Forgetting events or personal details like address or phone number
- Personality changes such as becoming suspicious or delusional
- Compulsive, repetitive behaviors such as tissue shredding or hand-wringing
- Needing assistance with proper clothing for an event or season
- Problems with bladder and bowel control
- Changes in sleep patterns, such as sleeping during the day and being restless at night
- Wandering or getting lost
In the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease, mental and physical symptoms advance and become severe. During this time, functions like communicating, walking, eating and swallowing may become difficult or impossible. Eventually, people with later-stage Alzheimer’s disease can no longer care for themselves and need 24-hour care.
