Alzheimer’s disease usually begins slowly. Mild forgetfulness may be the only symptom for a long time — and it is easily confused with age-related memory loss.
In the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, a person may have trouble remembering recent events or the names of familiar people or things. They may have difficulty performing familiar activities. These symptoms are bothersome, but usually aren’t serious enough to cause alarm.
In the middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease, a person’s symptoms will become more noticeable. The forgetfulness will start to interfere with simple daily activities — a person may forget how to brush their teeth or comb their hair. It becomes harder to think clearly, and they may be unable to recognize familiar people and places. A person in the middle stages of Alzheimer’s may also have trouble speaking, reading, writing, or understanding what is said to them.
In the later stages of Alzheimer’s, a person may become anxious or aggressive. A person with severe Alzheimer’s may wander away from home.
The earlier you can have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, the more you can do. Right now, the only definite way to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease is to examine brain tissue for abnormal plaques and tangles. However, this can only be done via an autopsy. While a person is still alive, a doctor can only make a possible or probable diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.
Specialists correctly diagnose Alzheimer’s disease approximately ninety percent of the time, using different tools:
- Thorough questioning of the patient and family members about general health, past medical issues, and the ability to carry out daily activities
- Memory tests
- Medical testing like blood and urine tests
- Brain scans
This battery of tests can help a doctor rule out other possible causes of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms. Some conditions may cause similar symptoms — thyroid problems, drug interactions, depression, brain tumors, and more can seem to be Alzheimer’s disease before testing.