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Normal Forgetfulness or Alzheimer's? About Alzheimer's Disease

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Diagnosing Alzheimer's Early

Summary & Participants

Early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is critical to delaying the effects of the disease. Additonally, the earlier the diagnosis, the more time patients and caregivers have to plan for the future.

Medically Reviewed On: July 18, 2008

Webcast Transcript

ANNOUNCER: Nearly five million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s, a degenerative disorder of the brain that affects memory, thought processes and speech.

GARY SMALL, MD: Alzheimer's disease is an illness that literally robs people of their minds. It attacks the brain. It does it very slowly, insidiously, and it results in loss of memory, judgment, huge behavior changes.

ANNOUNCER: The cause of Alzheimer’s has not been confirmed, but there is a leading theory among researchers and clinicians.

P. MURALI DORAISWAMY, MD: One of the leading theories is that there is a buildup of a protein plaque in the brain that jams communications between nerve cells. The plaque is not like the plaque in your tooth or the plaque in your heart. It's a unique plaque made of a different kind of a protein. And we believe that when this plaque accumulates, that's what results in Alzheimer's, along with some other kinds of changes in the brain.

ANNOUNCER: There are a variety of risk factors associated with it.

P. MURALI DORAISWAMY, MD: I would say the primary risk factor for Alzheimer's disease is age. In addition, people with a family history of Alzheimer's disease are at two to three times higher risk for Alzheimer's, than say someone who does not have a family history.

And surprisingly, we're learning that many of the factors that increase your risk for heart disease, such as diabetes, high cholesterol level, hypertension, obesity, these are also surprisingly turning out to be risk factors for Alzheimer's disease.

ANNOUNCER: In early stages, symptoms of Alzheimer’s can seem like normal aging.

GARY SMALL, MD: Early on, it's very common for people to experience short-term memory loss. They experience difficulties retrieving information. It takes longer to learn new things and the symptoms, early on, can look very much like normal aging.

ANNOUNCER: A diagnosis is usually confirmed through a careful assessment by a qualified clinician.

GARY SMALL, MD: If somebody has a memory problem, they see the doctor, the doctor will get a good history, find out the nature of the symptoms. They'll look at medications, which can cause memory loss. They'll check the blood to see if there's a thyroid problem or anemia. They will do a good physical examination, because physical illnesses can contribute to brain health and memory loss.

ANNOUNCER: Early awareness and an early diagnosis are crucial for patients.

P. MURALI DORAISWAMY, MD: Early diagnosis is really very critical. One estimate is that every year or two years that Alzheimer's goes untreated, you're losing approximately 5 percent of your brain tissue.

ANNOUNCER: The earlier the diagnosis, the more time patients and caregivers have to plan for the future.

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