In this issue, let’s explore the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (dementia):

  1. Becoming Stubborn: The person becomes unreasonably stubborn over trivial matters and often gets angry at others. This occurs because they are the first to sense changes within themselves. Particularly, they notice a decline in memory, experience lapses, and lose confidence. They fear that others may notice these changes and, in an attempt to hide their fear, may lash out over small things.
  2. Denial of Symptoms: They often say things like, “I’m fine, but others are not,” denying their own symptoms. This denial stems from a fear that others may recognize the changes occurring within them.
  3. Forgetting Dreams: This symptom is more common in women (mothers). Previously, they may have remembered their dreams and interpreted them, advising family members on precautions based on those dreams. However, at some point, they can no longer recall their dreams, or they remember them only vaguely.
  4. Slurred or Muddled Speech: Without realizing it, their speech becomes slurred, which others may notice. Someone who once had clear pronunciation may suddenly start speaking less clearly. They may begin discussing a topic but lose track of what they were saying or the subject of the conversation. This leads to repetitive speech (saying the same things again) and a loss of confidence, ultimately leaving thoughts incomplete or vague.
  5. Reading Without Retention: Even after reading a page, they cannot remember its content when they turn to the next page. They might reread the same page repeatedly but still fail to recall what they’ve read. In the past, they could read dozens of pages in an hour, but now they struggle to turn two or three pages within that time.
  6. Forgetting Sermons or Lectures: Despite listening intently to sermons at church or lectures at seminars and fully understanding the content, they quickly forget what they heard and cannot recall the details or main points.
  7. Repetition of the Same Stories: They repeatedly talk about the same topics or stories. While this can be frustrating for listeners, they are unaware and mistakenly believe they are sharing new information.
  8. Clumsiness or Dropping Objects: Their actions become clumsy, and they frequently drop objects, even light ones. Their walking pattern changes—they may lean to one side or drag their feet as they walk.
  9. Repetitive Actions and Forgetfulness: They may repeat actions without realizing it. For instance, locking the door, then returning to check it again, or driving toward a destination but repeatedly turning back. These are typical signs of neural cell degeneration. Other examples include putting items in the wrong places, like leaving a phone in the refrigerator, finding a keychain in the fridge, or frequently burning pots while cooking. Such repetitive behaviors, if they disrupt daily life, are considered medical symptoms of dementia.

Just like with other illnesses, prevention is crucial for dementia. It’s not something that should start after the age of 50, when brain neurons are already significantly degenerated, and memory has drastically declined. Instead, efforts to exercise the brain should begin in one’s 20s. Symptoms like occasional forgetfulness and memory lapses that come with age are considered part of the initial process and early signs of dementia, as published in the 2006 issue of NEUROLOGY.