Diagnosis And Mis-diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease

These days we read more and more about the increasing number of Alzheimer’s patients. At the same time we find a growing number of tidings about mis-diagnosis.

There are two types of mis-diagnosis:

– people with Alzheimers misdiagnosed with another disease and

– people with another condition misdiagnosed as Alzheimers.

In this article we will discuss the second one.

The Danger of Mis-diagnosis

There are a couple of treatments against the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease.

In a couple of situations they only reduce the effects of changes in the brain for a limited period. If these medications are used, while no Alzheimer\’s is concerned, it could result in an undesirable effect.

A well treatable condition in that case can persist and possibly worsen.

It is therefore important that a proper diagnosis is made.

The early symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease can be missed easily because they resemble natural signs of aging, such as forgetfulness and loss of concentration.

It is certainly useful to get familiar with a number of other conditions, which may be looked for Alzheimer\’s.

Other Diseases Sometimes Misdiagnosed As Alzheimer\’s Disease

A picture of the brain can help the doctor to analyze if anything does not look normal. He also has to use information from the medical history and perform some tests to rule out other possible causes of the person’s Alzheimers disease-like symptoms.

Examples:

– Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

– Dementia With Lewy Bodies

– Depression

– Huntington\’s Disease

– Multi-Infarct Dementia

– Myoclonus

– Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

– Thyroid problems

– Drug reactions

– Brain tumors

– Blood vessel disease

Some of these other conditions can be treated.

Similar symptoms can result from fatigue, grief, illness, vision or hearing loss, the use of alcohol or certain medications, or simply the burden of too many details to remember at once.

Differences And Similarities Between Alzheimer\’s And Dementia

Sometimes people use the words “dementia” and “Alzheimer’s” as if they are synonyms. Unfortunately this is not right.

Dementia is a collective noun for a number of different diseases all leading to cognitive decline. One of these disorders is Alzheimer’s Disease. There is no doubt the majority of dementia is Alzheimer’s.

Other Causes Of Dementia or Memory Loss

Other dementia like symptoms include causes as:

– Causes of Emotional or Relational Sources

Some older people can suffer from emotional inconvenience. They have a hard time to deal with their increasing age and its consequences. Maybe they did lose one or more friends, brothers and or sisters or their spouse. Besides the grief for that, it can cause them feeling lonely. Maybe they are worried about their future.

All these emotions may have its influence on their memory. Finding relief and new goals for their life’s may result in disappearing of the symptoms. The best is if family or friends to assist them to find a solution. Professional help is of course the alternative.

– Aging (if very mild symptoms),

Like the rest of your body loses its vitality with increasing age, the same goes for your brain.

Besides that, we collect so much information during whole life. It is no wonder we sometimes cannot find the proper information at the right moment.

Serious memory loss is: if we frequently don’t remember important things even if someone else tells us about it.

Dick Harkes was confronted with Alzheimer’s Disease when his father was diagnosed with this awful ailment. Then he started collecting information about Alzheimer’s.
He likes to share this information with everybody.
Please visit Mis-diagnosis of Alzheimer\’s.

Or start at his homepage: All About Alzheimer’s Disease.

Dick Harkes knows Alzheimer’s since his father’s diagnosis with the ailment. He collected information about the disease, he now likes to share with everybody.
Visit http://www.all-about-alzheimers-disease.com/Alzheimers-diagnosis.html.
Homepage: http://www.all-about-alzheimers-disease.com.

Author Bio: Dick Harkes was confronted with Alzheimer’s Disease when his father was diagnosed with this awful ailment. Then he started collecting information about Alzheimer’s.
He likes to share this information with everybody.
Please visit Mis-diagnosis of Alzheimer\’s.

Or start at his homepage: All About Alzheimer’s Disease.

Category: Medical Business
Keywords: misdiagnosis of alzheimers,diagnosing alzheimers disease,disease multi-infarct dementia