A doctor will rely on the results of all these different evaluations to determine whether you have Alzheimer’s, another form of dementia, or another condition that may causing your symptoms. If Alzheimer’s is the most likely reason for your signs and symptoms, the official diagnosis will be probable Alzheimer’s since a diagnosis cannot be confirmed until an autopsy is done. To help doctors make a diagnosis, the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer’s Association have established certain criteria:
• Dementia confirmed by clinical and neuropsychological examination.
• Problems in at least two areas of mental functioning.
• Progressive worsening of memory and other mental functioning.
• No disturbances of consciousness (blacking out).
• Symptoms beginning between ages 40 and 90.
• No other disorders that might account for the dementia.
In some cases, a doctor may diagnose you with possible Alzheimer’s. This diagnosis mean that although the doctor thinks your signs and symptoms are the result of Alzheimer’s Disease, he also thinks there is another disorder affecting your condition and impacting the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Mild Cognitive Impairment
Everyone becomes a little more forgetful as they age, and the brain does indeed undergo physiological changes. In the parts of the brain important for learning, memory, planning, and complex thinking, the neurons shrink and in some cases, die. The aging brain also has more inflammation and greater damage caused by free radicals, the highly reactive oxygen molecules that can destroy healthy neurons.
In some people, memory losses may be more significant than expected for their age. They may have momentary lapses in concentration and orientation. But other aspects of their cognitive processes remain intact. They can think, reason, and carry on the daily activities of life without any problems. These people may be diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Studies suggest that people who have MCI are at greater risk for developing Alzheimer’s later on. In fact, in some cases, MCI may be a precursor of Alzheimer’s Disease since many of the people who have MCI do go on to develop early Alzheimer’s. On the other hand, a good number of people with MCI live for years with the condition and never progress beyond it.