Difference between Dengue and Malaria

The onset of Monsoon in India always brings about a rise in the cases of dengue and malaria. Both these diseases are transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. Once infected with either of these diseases, the victims shows similar symptoms of fever and chills, making it very difficult to differentiate between the two.

However for proper treatment, it is important the patient is diagnosed for the right disease. This makes it very important that one understand the differences between dengue fever and malaria fever. Here are a few pointers that will help you understand these two diseases (dengue and malaria) better.

Causes

Dengue: Dengue is transmitted by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito. It can be further spread if another mosquito bites the infected person and then spread it to people. This dengue mosquito usually attacks during the day.

Malaria: Malaria is caused by the bite of a female anopheles mosquito. It can only be spread by the bite of a female anopheles mosquito unlike dengue. The malaria mosquito usually attacks during the night.

Incubation

Dengue: Dengue symptoms appear 4-5 days after being infected.

Malaria: Malaria symptoms appear 10-15 days after being bitten.

Symptoms

Dengue: Dengue fever strikes the patient suddenly and remains for a long time. It is usually accompanied with severe headache and bone pain. Dengue fever can disappear soon but it usually reappears with skin rashes.

Malaria: Malaria fever keeps reoccurring in shorter duration and is accompanied with other symptoms like joint pain, vomiting, sweating, anaemia etc. Malaria usually occurs in the following stages: chills, heat and sweating.

Diagnosis

Dengue: Dengue can be thoroughly examined through a chemical process. The two tests that diagnose dengue are Antigen tests and Anti body test.

Malaria: Malaria is examined by microscopic tests of the visuals of the virus.

Can Alzheimer's be cured?

Alzheimer's is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks.

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases.

Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging, although the greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimer's are 65 and older. But Alzheimer's is not just a disease of old age. Up to 5 percent of people with the disease have early onset Alzheimer's (also known as younger-onset), which often appears when someone is in their 40s or 50s.

Alzheimer's worsens over time. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years.

Alzheimer's has no current cure, but treatments for symptoms are available and research continues. Although current Alzheimer's treatments cannot stop Alzheimer's from progressing, they can temporarily slow the worsening of dementia symptoms and improve quality of life for those with Alzheimer's and their caregivers. Today, there is a worldwide effort under way to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset, and prevent it from developing. The larger point is that while Alzheimer's is still incurable, its not untreatable. There are 4 FDA approved medications available for treating Alzheimer symptoms and many others in clinical trials.

Strategies to enhance general brain and mental well-being can also help people with Alzheimer's. That is why early detection is so important.

10 warning signs of Alzheimer's:

1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life.
2. Challenges in planning or solving problems.
3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure.
4. Confusion with time or place.
5. Trouble understanding visual images and spacial relationships. 
6. New problems with words in speaking or writing.
7. Misplacing things and loosing the ability to retrace steps.
8. Decreased or poor judgement.
9. Withdrawal from work or social activities.
10. Changes in mood or personality.

Typical age-related memory loss and other changes compared to Alzheimer's

Signs of Alzheimer's	Typical age-related changes
Poor judgment and decision making	Making a bad decision once in a while
Inability to manage a budget	Missing a monthly payment
Losing track of the date or the season	Forgetting which day it is and remembering later
Difficulty having a conversation	Sometimes forgetting which word to use
Misplacing things and being unable to retrace steps to find them	Losing things from time to time