Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Early Prevention of Inflammatory Neurodegenerative Disease: A Focus on Alzheimer’s Disease

Table 1

Disease progression in Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Stage	Clinical trajectory
Early preclinical AD (changes begin 10–20 yrs before symptoms)	(i) Degeneration in hippocampus (where short-term memory is converted to long-term memory); (ii) Neuronal loss leads to shrinkage; (iii) Memory loss is the first sign of AD
Mild-moderate AD	(i) Mild: memory loss, confusion, poor judgment, mood changes, anxiety; (ii) Moderate: increased memory loss and confusion, problem recognizing people, difficulty with language, repetitive statements
Severe AD	(i) Extreme shrinkage of brain; (ii) Patients completely dependent on others for care; (iii) Weight loss, seizures, skin infections, moan/groaning, loss of bladder, and bowel control; (iv) Death usually occurs from aspiration pneumonia or other infections