I was recently talking to someone approaching 70 who was inevitably worried about developing Alzheimer’s disease. His main question was: what’s the difference between Alzheimer’s and another form of dementia? Additionally, how can one recognize memory issues as being Alzheimer’s- related and not merely the result of advancing age? I’d add to this – how is it possible for doctors to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, given that there is no single biomarker for the disease? It is for this reason that it’s important for people to self-diagnose, given that they’re on the front lines of their own cognitive condition.
Self-diagnosis does not mean taking place of a doctor – only that a person needs to recognize the warning signs so that he or she will seek medical attention. And while there is no single biomarker for the disease, it is still possible to diagnose the condition as being separate from other types of dementia or cognitive impairments, such as Parkinson’s. The main issue with the current state of Alzheimer’s biomarkers is that we are not yet able to diagnose the illness early – and with that diagnosis, beginning proper treatment immediately. Given that there is also no medication that can halt Alzheimer’s progress, diagnosis is made well after symptoms appear. As with most illnesses, early detection is key, but with Alzheimer’s that is normally not possible.
To be clear, Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia, but it is possible to have dementia that is not necessarily AD-related and may be the result of another condition. There is no medication for dementia – a doctor needs to find the specific illness that is causing the dementia. So how can a doctor differentiate between Alzheimer’s and another condition? Alz.org has a very useful list of the ten symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease:
1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life
2. Challenges in planning or solving problems
3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure
4. Confusion with time or place
5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships
6. New problems with words in speaking or writing
7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
8. Decreased or poor judgment
9. Withdrawal from work or social activities
10. Changes in mood and personality
Any one of these issues could be a signal of dementia, but not Alzheimer’s. It is important to note as well that Alzheimer’s patients will not necessarily exhibit all of the above symptoms. Each case is different given a person’s age, health, heredity, and other factors, further making the prospect of diagnosis more difficult.
When these symptoms are recognized, the process of identifying Alzheimer’s disease is not cut and dry:
Distinguishing Alzheimer’s disease from other forms of dementia requires a doctor to establish certain background information (the history) and define a patient’s abilities (the examination), and then perhaps obtain results from certain tests.
The last step is guided by the results from the first two. Alzheimer’s disease is typically a slowly progressive disorder that involves memory for recent information (short-term memory) and one or more other abilities, such as speech and language, personality, decision-making and judgment or awareness and ability to interact with the environment.
A doctor attempting to distinguish Alzheimer’s disease from another form of dementia asks questions about these abilities and examines them as well. Additionally, the doctor also asks questions about and examines abilities that are typically not impaired in a patient with Alzheimer’s disease. These abilities include, among others, memory for information of long ago (long-term memory), vision, ability to feel things and muscle strength. In doing these things, the doctor is attempting to determine if the pattern of impairments that the patient has are typical or not typical for Alzheimer’s disease.
Because of the similarity between Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, it can potentially be misdiagnosed. Click the link to see a long list of possible alternatives to an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Because there is no cure for the disease, it is many people’s greatest fear, but dementia-related symptoms are not a guarantee that they are a result of Alzheimer’s disease. The prospect must be investigated, but all memory conditions will not lead to an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Getting a second opinion is advised if Alzheimer’s is determined to be the underlying cause.
The work at biOasis with p97 is to develop both a biomarker to detect Alzheimer’s as early as possible, as well as provide a delivery system for Alzheimer’s medication across the blood brain barrier. There is such great concern among seniors about developing this disease, and biOasis’s goal is to help ease fears and aid treatment.
