How Probable Alzheimer's Disease Is Diagnosed
The National Institute of
Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer's Disease
and Related Disorders Association (NINCDS-ADRA) has established guidelines to
help diagnose alzheimer's disease. These three diagnostic categories are
possible alzheimer's disease, probable alzheimer's disease, and definite
alzheimer's disease. To diagnose probable alzheimer's, tests such as the Mini
Mental State Exam (MMSE) are used. Scores on the MMSE must be low enough to
indicate dementia. For a patient to be diagnosed as probable alzheimer's, they
need to have progressive memory loss, deficits on two or more thinking tasks,
and not be in a coma or have delirium. Also, diagnosis of probable alzheimer's
would also need to start between age 40 and age 90. Probable alzheimer's would
also be a proper diagnosis if no other physical causes could be cointributing to
the memory and thinkihg losses, thus the need for a full blood and urine testing
protocol. A diagnosis of probable alzheimer's disease is further supported if
the patient also has language or motor difficulties,has impaired activities of
daily living, and has a family history of alzheimer's disease. The diagnosis of
probable alzheimer's is also supported if there are plateaus in the course of
the disease. For example, the patient may seem better for a while, but then
begins again to decline. Sudden onset of cognitive problems and memory loss is
not characteristic of probable alzheimer's disease. CT scans are not useful for
alzheimer's diagnosis early on in the disease, but as the disease progresses, CT
scans support diagnosis of probable alzheimer's by showing loss of brain cells.
Diagnosis of probable alzheimer's is further indicated if the patient has
behaviors such as agitation, delusions, hallucinations, depression and apathy.
Depression complicates a diagnosis of alzheimer's disease. Depressed people
without dementia also have problems with memory and thinking, as do alzheimer
patients. However, depressed, non-demented people know their memory loss is
related to their depressed feelings, whereas, alzheimer patients don't connect
their memory loss to anything and don't usually seek help for their
illness.