There are five stages associated with Alzheimer’s disease: preclinical Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease, mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease, moderate dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease and severe dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. Dementia is a term used to describe a group of symptoms that affect intellectual and social abilities severely enough to interfere with daily function.
The five Alzheimer’s stages can help you understand what might happen, but it’s important to know that these stages are only rough generalizations. The disease is a continuous process. Each person has a different experience with Alzheimer’s and its symptoms. The 5 stages of Alzheimer’s disease are explained below.
1. Preclinical Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease begins long before any symptoms become apparent. This stage is called preclinical Alzheimer’s disease, and it’s usually identified only in research settings. You won’t notice symptoms during this stage, nor will those around you.
This stage of Alzheimer’s can last for years, possibly even decades. Although you won’t notice any changes, new imaging technologies can now identify deposits of a protein called amyloid-beta that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. The ability to identify these early deposits may be especially important for clinical trials and in the future as new treatments are developed for Alzheimer’s disease.
2. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s disease
People with mild cognitive impairment have mild changes in their memory and thinking ability. These changes aren’t significant enough to affect work or relationships yet. People with MCI may have memory lapses when it comes to information that is usually easily remembered, such as conversations, recent events or appointments.
People with MCI may also have trouble judging the amount of time needed for a task, or they may have difficulty correctly judging the number or sequence of steps needed to complete a task. The ability to make sound decisions can become harder for people with MCI.
3. Mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease is often diagnosed in the mild dementia stage, when it becomes clear to family and doctors that a person is having significant trouble with memory and thinking that impacts daily functioning. In the mild dementia stage, people may experience:
- Memory loss of recent events
- Difficulty with problem-solving, complex tasks and sound judgments.
- Changes in personality.
- Difficulty organizing and expressing thoughts
- Getting lost or misplacing belongings
4. Moderate dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease
During the moderate dementia stage of Alzheimer’s disease, people grow more confused and forgetful and begin to need more help with daily activities and self-care. Individuals lose track of where they are, the day of the week or the season. They may confuse family members or close friends with one another or mistake strangers for family. People may forget details of their personal history, such as their address or phone number, or where they attended school.
Assistance may be required with choosing proper clothing for the occasion or the weather and with bathing, grooming, using the bathroom and other self-care. Some individuals occasionally lose control of their bladder or bowel movements.
5. Severe dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease
In the late stage of the disease, called severe dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease, mental function continues to decline, and the disease has a growing impact on movement and physical capabilities. In late stage severe dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease, people generally lose the ability to communicate coherently. An individual can no longer converse or speak in ways that make sense, although he or she may occasionally say words or phrases.
They will require daily assistance with personal care. This includes total assistance with eating, dressing, using the bathroom and all other daily self-care tasks. They experience a decline in physical abilities. A person may become unable to walk without assistance, then unable to sit or hold up his or her head without support. Muscles may become rigid and reflexes abnormal. Eventually, a person loses the ability to swallow and to control bladder and bowel functions