For someone with Alzheimer’s disease, it’s important to get an accurate diagnosis as early as possible during the course of the disease. Unfortunately, there are obstacles. For one thing, it can be very easy to dismiss symptoms like memory loss as a normal part of aging rather than a sign of disease.
Alzheimer’s disease symptoms can also mimic other disorders, such as depression
Any delay in receiving a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease can prevent people from getting the help they need and taking steps to plan for the future.
Doctors use several methods and tools to help determine whether a person with thinking or memory problems has Alzheimer’s disease. To diagnose Alzheimer’s, doctors may do the following:
- General health, use of prescription and over-the-counter medications, diet, past medical problems, ability to perform daily activities, and changes in behavior and personality from the person experiencing symptoms, as well as from a family member or friend. Ask Questions about change.
- Test memory, problem-solving, attention, numeracy, and language.
- Order blood, urine, and other standard medical tests that can help identify other possible causes of the problem.
- Arrange for a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether depression or another mental health condition is causing or contributing to a person’s symptoms.
- Collect cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by spinal tap and measure levels of proteins associated with Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
- Perform brain scans, such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or positron emission tomography (PET), to support a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or to rule out other possible causes of symptoms.
The doctor may want to repeat these tests to help determine how a person’s memory and other cognitive functions are changing over time. These tests can also help diagnose other causes of memory problems, such as stroke, tumors, Parkinson’s disease, sleep disturbances, side effects of medication, infections, or other types of dementia. Some of these conditions can be treated and possibly reversed.
People with memory problems should return to the doctor every six to 12 months.
Before the early 2000s, the only sure way to know if someone had Alzheimer’s disease was an autopsy, a procedure performed after death. Because of advances in research, laboratory, and imaging tests are now available to help a doctor or researcher look for biological signs, or biomarkers, of disease in a living person. For example, it is now possible for many doctors to order a blood test to measure beta-amyloid levels, a protein that can cause Alzheimer’s disease, depending on state-specific availability, according to US Food and Drug Administration guidelines.
Abnormal accumulation in the brain of people with, several other blood tests is in development. Currently, blood test results should not be used to diagnose dementia, but can be taken into account along with other tests. However, the availability of these diagnostic tests is still limited. NIA-supported research teams continue to study options for faster, less expensive, and less invasive methods of diagnosing Alzheimer’s.
What Happens if a doctor thinks it’s Alzheimer’s disease?
If a primary care physician suspects Alzheimer’s, he or she may refer the patient to a specialist who can provide a detailed diagnosis or other evaluation. Experts include:
- Geriatricians, administer health care for older adults and understand how the body changes as we age and whether symptoms indicate a serious problem.
- Geriatric psychiatrists, specialize in the mental and emotional problems of older adults and can evaluate memory and thinking problems.
- Neurologists, who specialize in abnormalities of the brain and central nervous system, can perform and review brain scans.
- Neuropsychologists are the ones who can perform tests of memory and thinking.
Memory clinics and centers, including the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, offer teams of specialists who work together to diagnose the problem. In addition, these specialized clinics or centers often have access to the equipment needed for brain scans and other advanced diagnostic tests.
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What are the benefits of an early Alzheimer’s diagnosis?
Alzheimer’s disease gets progressively worse over time. People living with the disease progress at different rates, from mild Alzheimer’s when they first notice symptoms, to severe when they are completely dependent on others for day-to-day, routine care such as their own. Depend on feeding themselves.
Early, accurate diagnosis is beneficial for several reasons. Although there is no cure, drugs are emerging to treat the progression of Alzheimer’s. Medications are also available to treat some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, as well as strategies to manage behavioral issues. Most of the drugs currently available work best for people in the early or middle stages of the disease. Learn more about Alzheimer’s treatment.
In addition, getting an early diagnosis helps people with Alzheimer’s and their families:
- Plan for the future
- Handling financial and legal affairs
- Address potential security issues
- Learn about living arrangements
- Develop a support network
- Drive safely
- Follow up with your doctor
Also, an early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s provides the best opportunity to make decisions about care, finances, and advanced directives, and to access the many resources available to people living with the disease.
Is there a blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s?
Researchers currently use blood tests to detect the presence of certain proteins linked to Alzheimer’s, including beta-amyloid (the main component of amyloid plaques in the brain) and tau (which causes tangles in the brain). Scientists are getting closer to developing a blood test that could be used as a routine tool to screen for Alzheimer’s or those at risk of developing the disease.
Another biomarker involves cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), a clear fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, which can be analyzed for the presence of Alzheimer’s-related proteins. Tests that measure CSF biomarkers are more sensitive than blood tests and are particularly useful for diagnosing early-onset Alzheimer’s.
