Featured Image Credit: Maria Korneeva/Getty Images
Topics: Dementia, Mental Health, Health, Celebrity
Ellie Kemp
Topics: Dementia, Mental Health, Health, Celebrity
There are three stages of Alzheimer's to be aware of, as a British TV host has revealed what her first symptoms were.
Journalist Fiona Phillips - who once headed up the British breakfast TV show GMTV - went public with her early-onset Alzheimer's diagnosis in July 2023, but says she mistook her initial symptoms for menopause.
Early-onset Alzheimer's is the name given to anyone who is diagnosed with the neurological disease before the age of 65.
Around 200,000 Americans aged between 30 to 64 years old are diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's, as per the Alzheimer's Association.
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In a new memoir, Remember When: My Life with Alzheimer’s, Phillips opens up about her experience with the illness.
And in an article for the Daily Mail, she revealed what her first symptoms of the disease were.
"The anxiety attacks became more frequent until they were almost hourly," she admitted. "Around this time lots of women in the public eye, such as Davina McCall and Gabby Logan, were discussing the menopause in a way it had never previously been talked about.
"It felt like the pieces were falling into place - why hadn't anyone told me before how debilitating the menopause could be?"
However, Phillips soon realized her experience wasn't matching up. She explained: "...I didn't have the hot flushes that a lot of women complain about. For me it was the sense of brain fog and a sense of anxiety that I could rarely shake off."
The 64-year-old added: "The simplest thing, like going to the bank to ask about my account, would send me into a total panic, and there were mood swings too, which meant even I was finding my behaviour unpredictable.
"And yet, despite not wanting to be like that, I couldn't do anything about it. I felt I'd lost control over my life."
According to the NHS, the stages of Alzheimer's are generally sorted into three categories - early stage, middle stage and late stage, with symptoms becoming more severe.
Here's a look at each stage and their symptoms...
In the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease, the most prominent symptom is usually mild memory loss - such as forgetting recent conversations, misplacing belongings and struggling to recall names of familiar objects and places.
People may have difficulty finding the right words, repeat questions, exhibit poor judgment and become hesitant to try new activities.
Mood changes like increased anxiety, agitation or occasional confusion often accompany these symptoms.
As Alzheimer’s progresses to the middle stage, according to the NHS, these memory impairments tend to deepen.
People may not recognize close friends or family and can become easily disoriented about time or place.
They often develop repetitive or impulsive behaviors, may experience delusions or paranoia toward caregivers and have trouble with speech, known as aphasia.
Spatial tasks - such as judging distances - might become more obvious.
Sleep disturbances, mood swings and occasional hallucinations are also common, with most people requiring help with daily activities like eating, dressing and personal hygiene.
The NHS explains that in the late stage, Alzheimer’s causes severe cognitive and physical decline.
Hallucinations and delusions may intensify and, sadly, behavior can become aggressive or restless.
Motor difficulties might arise - which include problems with eating, swallowing and mobility. This can lead to rapid weight loss and incontinence.
The ability to talk is gradually lost, too, and both short- and long-term memory can become 'profoundly' impaired.
Full-time care is necessary to assist with all aspects of daily living.
If you've been affected by dementia or Alzheimer's and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact the Alzheimer's Association via 800.272.3900 open 24 hours seven days a week.