Speech disturbances in Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most frequent cause of dementia affecting older people. It is estimated that the illness constitutes about 60-70% of all dementing disorders. It is considered to be a degeneration of the nervous system whose causes and mechanism are still unclear. The disease affects 5-10% of people above the age of 60 and nearly 50% of those above 85. Despite its defined clinical and neuropathological criteria, the aetiology and pathogenesis of the disease remain unclear. In terms of mechanisms that cause the disease to develop, a significant role is played by pathological processes triggered by genetic and environmental factors. The factors which contribute to AD development include old age, female gender, poor education, diabetes, and having a relative who has been diagnosed with the disease. Also, the patients show impaired communicative competence, the occurrence of logomania or reticence, perseveration, vocal paraphrases and finally a decline in reading and writing competence. It should be emphasised that no matter how long the process occurs, it results in a gradual loss of productive and receptive skills. The present article describes the disturbances of language communication and articulatory problems, which are progressive and co-exist with disorders of other higher mental functions.