Alzheimer's disease can only be conclusively diagnosed by examining the brain after death in an autopsy to determine the presence of characteristic plaques and tangles in certain brain areas. However, doctors can make a clinical diagnosis of "possible" or "probable" Alzheimer's disease in a living person. Several tools are used to arrive at this diagnosis. These include a complete medical history and tests that measure memory, problem solving, attention, counting, and language abilities. Medical tests such as analysis of blood and urine are used to determine if the dementia has another cause. Brain scans can be used to see whether the person has abnormalities such as strokes that could account for the dementia.
How accurate are tests for Alzheimer's disease? Doctors in specialized Alzheimer's disease treatment centers can now diagnose Alzheimer's disease with up to 90 percent accuracy in a living person.
What other conditions have symptoms like Alzheimer's disease? Tumors, strokes, severe depression, thyroid problems, medication side effects, nutritional disorders, and certain diseases can all have effects that mimic those of Alzheimer's disease. Early diagnosis increases the chances of treating these conditions successfully.
|