There are no seven stages of Alzheimer’s, but they can be categorized according to the patient’s symptoms into a pre-dementia stage and a dementia stage, and within the dementia stage they can be categorized according to three degrees of cognitive impairment, which are mild, moderate, and severe.
The pre-dementia stage of Alzheimer’s disease is when the patient does not have cognitive impairment or has mild impairment. The impairment is mainly in the form of memory impairment and reduced learning ability, and reduced attention span, but it does not affect daily life to the extent of dementia.
The dementia stage is further divided into three degrees. Mild is when the patient develops memory impairment, mainly near-term memory impairment, which gradually develops into distant memory impairment, as well as spatial-temporal impairment that may be present in some patients;
The moderate degree is based on the continued aggravation of memory impairment, with diminished work-study and social contact skills, and diminished logical abilities. More pronounced behavioral and psychiatric abnormalities occur at this point;
Severe dementia is based on the aggravation of the above symptoms, accompanied by loss of speech, inability to cry and laugh to the point of not being able to complete simple daily life, being bedridden with depression all day long, loss of the ability to make contact, and ankylosis of the limbs, etc., which will eventually lead to death due to complications.
Patients with the above symptoms are advised to seek prompt medical attention to clarify the cause and rational treatment under the guidance of specialized doctors.