Learning to Recognize Alzheimer's Disease

It may be cliché nowadays to attach the pop culture diagnosis of Alzheimer's to any elderly person who suffers some symptoms of memory loss. However, Alzheimer's is a degenerative disease that has many symptoms, not just memory loss, and can only be diagnosed with 100% accuracy through autopsy findings of the presence of the disease in the brain tissues.

Long before Alzheimer's was as well-known as today, my grandmother exhibited some of the symptoms associated with the disease. She often couldn't remember her relatives names or recognize some people. She tended to get up in the middle of the night and do things she didn't remember doing the next day. She became dangerous to herself and others when she would wander away from the house and forget where she lived or leave an empty tea kettle on a stove burner that was turned on full blast. So, my mother would shrug years later and suggest it was Alzheimer's even though it was well known my grandmother had suffered numerous strokes. Without an autopsy, it would be very difficult to tell if my grandmother actually suffered from Alzheimer's or merely vascular dementia from the strokes she suffered or a combination of both. Thus, although dementia is a symptom of Alzheimer's it is not the only disorder that causes dementia, it is just the most publicized symptom of the disease.

Other Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease

Memory is just one component affected by Alzheimer's disease. Another symptom is the inability to learn new associations or integrate new information. Judgment is impaired and as the disease progresses, sufferers may become depressed, agitated or even hostile.

Physically an Alzheimer's patient may have some or all of the following symptoms:

Difficulty speaking
Impaired physical functioning
An inability to recognize objects or faces
Difficulty organizing or planning

Although the only definite proof of Alzheimer's still lies within the findings of an autopsy, a mental status exam was developed to help clinicians pinpoint the disease while the patient is still living.

The Mental Status Exam

Taking a loved one in to be diagnosed for Alzheimer's can be done through the mental status exam. This exam relies on asking patient questions to pinpoint how well they do on memory, orientation (whereabouts) and awareness level. Typical questions might be:

1. What is the current year, day, or month?
2. Where are you from?
3. Where do you live?

In addition, patients will be asked to perform some minor memory tasks to see how well they score. These could include mathematical calculations as well. Language difficulties are traced by having a patient name objects, or repeat specific sentences. Finally, an overall assessment of the patient's awareness and state of drowsiness is ascertained. If a patient scores low on this test, it does not provide a definitive definition of Alzheimer's or dementia but it helps to pinpoint the severity of symptoms and potential areas where treatment might be beneficial.

Consult A Physician

If you suspect memory loss, don't automatically attribute it to Alzheimer's disease. According to "Abnormal Psychology" by David H. Barlow et al, only about 50% of cases of dementia are actually attributable to Alzheimer's. The disease typically appears within the ages associated with your 60's and 70's, although occasions of it arising earlier are noted. The disease typically affects more women then men, but women also live longer then men. Other causes of dementia could be injury to a part of the brain, alcohol or substance abuse, medical prescription side-effects, other medical conditions, vascular problems, infections, or even depression. It's important to get an accurate diagnosis to provide treatment early in any of these cases.