8 Visible Symptoms of Early Onset Alzheimer

You’ve likely heard of Alzheimer’s disease. It’s a form of dementia that can be extremely devastating for families. Many people act like it will never happen to them or assume that it won’t be a problem until later in life. However, Alzheimer’s is one of those conditions that really can affect you at any time.

Early-onset Alzheimer’s can affect up to 5% of patients. While most people are affected from 65 years, the 5% are often diagnosed between their 40s and their 50s. It’s difficult to get a diagnosis that early too, so the figures could be higher.

While doctors are looking into the reasons for Alzheimer’s and a cure, there are others who want to understand more about the symptoms. This can help to seek medical help as soon as possible and figure out steps to take should you or someone you love suffer from early onset Alzheimer’s.

Some of the symptoms are mentally, but there are also visible symptoms. These are ones that you or someone close to you may notice. Here are eight visible symptoms of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease to look out for.

Difficulty Doing Everyday Tasks

Familiar and everyday tasks can become a problem. Alzheimer’s affects the memory and the cognitive functions. The concentration is one of those cognitive functions affected. It’s harder to remain focused on daily tasks at hand, causing a distraction in the middle. This can initially seem silly and inconsequential, but it can eventually be extremely dangerous.

For example, you may find driving difficult. It’s possible to lose concentration part way through, forgetting to stop for a pedestrian or missing the stop sign. Getting lost is more likely, as you can forget to take a turn or become distracted and find yourself on the wrong road. This can happen on routes that you regularly travel.

Then there are issues when doing tasks that are normal in the house. You can find it hard to balance the checkbook, pay the bills, or even cook dinner. The distractions get worse over time.

Doing everyday tasks is also affected due to the memory losses. People can start to forget how to do the tasks. They forget about the steps to take, the timings for cooking, and even the times that they were supposed to do the tasks.

Most people will initially find working with numbers harder before working with letters. Therefore, the bills and the checkbook can be the issue. However, you can find English and wording become problems.