How to Diagnose Alzhiemer's Disease

Whereas dementia is often a normal result of aging, the dementia that accompanies Alzheimer's disease is not simply part of growing older. Alzheimer's disease often produces other symptoms as not only the mind, but also the body begins to forget. Such symptoms may include incontinence and depression. "Alzheimer's disease cannot be definitely diagnosed until after death, when the brain can be closely examined for certain microscopic changes caused by the disease. However, through thorough testing and a 'process of elimination,' doctors today can diagnose what they refer to as probable Alzheimer's disease with almost 90 percent accuracy," according to WebMD.com.

Instructions

• 1

  The doctor will take a patient history and ask a variety of questions to determine what the cause of the current problems may be. This will provide a baseline of information for the doctor.

• 2

  The doctor can also test a person's attention span, problem solving skills, memory, and counting skills with a brief test called a "mini-mental state exam." The purpose of this test is to determine whether one or more areas of the brain have been damaged.

• 3

  A series of physical examinations will also be run to rule out other health issues, including a basic physical exam, a chest x-ray, and laboratory work, which can include urinalysis or blood tests. The blood tests can sometimes identify a gene that has been found to be a risk factor in developing Alzheimer's disease.

• 4

  A CT scan, MRI, and PET scan will also likely be ordered.

• 5

  The relationship between behavior and the brain can be studied by neuropsychological testing. This will generally be comprised of a lengthy interview with the patient and tests that will assess memory, language, the ability to plan and reason, and other psychological attributes.