It is believed that Alzheimer’s Disease causes 50%-60% of all dementia. Incurable, degenerative and terminal, this life expectancy after a diagnosis is expected to be about 7 years.
10 SIGNS
Early Detection Matters
- Memory changes that disrupt daily life
- Challenges in planning or solving problems
- Difficulty in completing familiar tasks at home, work or leisure
- Confusion with time or place
- Trouble understanding visual images or spatial relationships
- New problems with words in speaking or writing
- Misplace things and losing the ability to retrace steps
- Decreased or poor judgment
- Withdrawal from work or social activities
- Changes in mood and personality
Visit www.alz.org for much more information
How Alzheimer’s Disease Is Diagnosed
Unfortunately, Alzheimer’s disease can only be definitively diagnosed after death by the examination of brain tissue and pathology in an autopsy. But doctors now have several methods and tools to help them determine fairly accurately whether a person who is having memory problems has “possible Alzheimer’s disease” (dementia may be due to another cause) or “probable Alzheimer’s disease” (no other cause for dementia can be found).
To diagnose Alzheimer’s, doctors will:
-Ask questions about the person’s overall health, past medical problems, ability to carry out daily activities, and changes in behavior and personality
-Conduct tests of memory, problem solving, attention, counting, and language
-Carry out medical tests, such as tests of blood, urine, or spinal fluid
-Perform brain scans, such as computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
These tests may be repeated to provide doctors with information about how the person’s memory is changing over time.
Early diagnosis is beneficial for several reasons. Having an early diagnosis and starting treatment in the early stages of the disease can help preserve function for months to years, even though the underlying disease process cannot be changed. Having an early diagnosis also helps families plan for the future, make living arrangements, take care of financial and legal matters, and develop support networks. In addition, an early diagnosis can provide greater opportunities for people to get involved in clinical trials. In a clinical trial, scientists test drugs or treatments to see which are most effective and for whom they work best.
For information about at-home caregiving, see Caring for a Person with Alzheimer’s Disease: Your Easy-to-Use Guide from the National Institute on Aging at www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications/CaringAD.
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