What are the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease?ĪD is often described in “stages.” Different symptoms mark the different stages of AD, though this varies from person to person. The likelihood of developing AD doubles every 5 years after age 65.Īdditional factors that influence the risk of developing AD include family history, certain genes, other health conditions such as diabetes, diet, exercise practices, and education. The single most important risk factor for developing AD is getting older. However, scientists have learned a great deal about what factors may increase a person’s risk of developing AD.
We now know that the changes in the brain that cause AD begin at least 20 years before a person develops symptoms of the disease. The abnormal proteins interfere with the normal function of nerve cells and eventually result in nerve cell death. In AD, the brain contains abnormal protein deposits that form plaques (beta amyloid protein) and tangles (tau protein) around and within nerve cells. What are the causes of Alzheimer’s disease? It is believed that more than 5 million Americans over the age of 65 and at least 200,000 people in America under the age of 65 have the disease. It is the most common cause of dementia, which is a decline in thinking that interferes with one’s everyday functions.Ī person with AD has difficulty with remembering, solving problems, and communicating.Ī person with AD may also have changes in personality, mood, and behavior.ĪD slowly worsens over time. The National Institute on Aging: or by calling (800) 438-4380Īlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a brain disease that causes damage to and destruction of nerve cells.The Alzheimer’s Association: or by calling (800) 272-3900.
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An informational sheet is available for download here.More information about mild cognitive impairment can be found at:
Some studies suggest that the following may help slow decline: a healthy diet, exercise, and participating in mentally stimulating and socially engaging activities. Drugs approved to treat symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease may help those with MCI, but have not been shown to prevent progression of MCI to dementia. There aren’t currently medications to slow the decline that can occur with MCI. What are the prognosis and options for treatment? If a physician has difficulty confirming a diagnosis of MCI or the cause of MCI, brain imaging and cerebrospinal fluid tests may be performed to determine if the individual has MCI due to Alzheimer’s disease.Ī medical exam for MCI includes a thorough medical history, an assessment of independent function and daily activities, input from a family member on function, assessment of mental status, in-office neurological exam, evaluation of mood, and laboratory tests.
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MCI is a clinical diagnosis representing a doctor’s best professional judgment about the reason for a person’s symptoms. How is mild cognitive impairment diagnosed? Thinking skills that may be affected by nonamnestic MCI include making sound decisions, judging the time or sequence of steps needed to complete a task, and visual perception. Nonamnestic MCI affects thinking skills other than memory. A person with Amnestic MCI may start to forget important information that they would have previously recalled easily, such as appointments, conversations, and recent events. What are the symptoms of mild cognitive impairment?Įxperts classify MCI based on the thinking skills affected:Īmnestic MCI primarily affects memory. Experts believe that many cases – but not all – result from brain changes occurring in the very early stages of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. The causes of MCI are not yet completely understood. What are the causes of mild cognitive impairment? It is important to recognize MCI because it puts a person at a greater risk of developing dementia in the future. However, the problems do not impair their ability to complete daily activities (as they do in other diseases causing dementia). A person with MCI experiences greater memory and thinking difficulties than expected with aging. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a disorder of memory or other related cognitive process.
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