A student performing Uttitha Trikonasana, triangle pose, one of the basic standing poses in Iyengar Yoga. Iyengar Yoga, named after and developed by B. K. S. Iyengar, is a form of Hatha Yoga that has an emphasis on detail, precision and alignment in the performance of posture (asana) and breath control (pranayama). The development of strength, mobility and stability is gained through the asanas. B.K.S.
Such incapacitation again sets the stage for deadly infections. Doctors say it is possible that an Alzheimer's patient could progress to the point that damage from the disease to the centers of the brain that control breathing could cause death, but patients rarely get that far without an infection setting in.
Alzheimer's disease is usually diagnosed at least three years after the onset of symptoms. Your father might have the disease even longer before being diagnosed because psychosis appears relatively late in the course of Alzheimer's disease. Progression of Alzheimer's disease is accelerated by changes of the blood vessels in the brain resulting in small strokes. Your father might have these changes as well because combination of Alzheimer's disease and vascular changes that may themselves cause dementia is often found when brains of individuals dying with dementia are examined.