Alzheimer’s disease tends to develop slowly and gradually worsens over several years.
Eventually, Alzheimer’s disease affects most areas of your brain.
There are five stages associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
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.
Alzheimer’s disease begins long before any symptoms become apparent.
This stage is called preclinical Alzheimer’s disease.
It’s usually identified only in research parameters.
You and those around you won’t notice symptoms during this stage.
This stage of Alzheimer’s can last for years, possibly even decades.
The tangles develop when tau proteins change shape and organize into structures.
These are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease.
The ability to identify these early changes is especially important for clinical trials.
The imaging technologies also are important as new treatments are developed for Alzheimer’s disease.
Additional biomarkers have been identified for Alzheimer’s disease.
These are found in blood samples and can indicate an increased risk of disease.
These biomarkers can be used to support the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, typically after symptoms appear.
These tests aren’t recommended for everyone.
You and your health care provider can discuss whether genetic testing might be helpful for you.
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.
This may include conversations, recent events or appointments.
They may have trouble judging the number or order of steps needed to complete a task.
The ability to make sound decisions can become harder.
Not everyone with mild cognitive impairment has Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is often diagnosed in the mild dementia stage.
The symptoms impact daily functioning.
They begin to need more help with daily activities and self-care.
They may confuse family members or close friends with one another or mistake strangers for family.
They may wander, possibly in search of surroundings that feel more familiar.
These behaviors make it unsafe to leave them on their own.
They repeat favorite stories or make up stories to fill gaps in memory.
Need help with some daily activities.They may need help choosing proper clothing for the occasion or the weather.
People in this stage also may need assistance with bathing, grooming, using the bathroom and other self-care.
Some may occasionally lose control of their bladder or bowel movements.
For example, they might become convinced that friends, family or professional caregivers are stealing from them.
Or they may accuse a spouse of having an affair.
Others may see or hear things that aren’t really there.
Individuals often grow restless or agitated, especially late in the day.
Some people may have outbursts of aggressive physical behavior.
The disease also has a growing impact on movement and physical capabilities.
On average, people with Alzheimer’s disease live between three and 11 years after diagnosis.
But some live 20 years or more.
The degree of impairment at diagnosis can affect life expectancy.
Untreated vascular risk factors such as hypertension are associated with a faster rate of progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Other common causes of death include dehydration, malnutrition, falls and other infections.
Updated: 6/7/2023
Publication Date: 6/26/2006
