Diagnosis of Alzheimer's

Short term memory loss is the most obvious sign. This is more pronounced than that which occurs for a normal aging person. The patient would not remember what is said during the course of a conversation resulting in the same thing being asked several times especially if several topics were being discussed. The patient would often misplace items. Long term memory is usually unaffected and recall of past events would be good and quite vivid.

An AD patient would have problems in grasping more complex concept and analyzing issues and making decisions. This would yield to frustration and possible venting of anger with aggressive behavior. Lack of emotional control would also be evident.

Following from the above, the patient would lose track of time and often not remember what time, day or month it is. They would also get lost easily and often in familiar surroundings. Going out for a walk and not able to find their way back is something that can easily happen.

An AD patient would exhibit sever mood swings and changes in behavior including aggression. In particular, anxiety, suspicion and paranoia. The patient may begin to accuse their spouse of being unfaithful, or someone trying to do him or her harm, or wanting to eat out because they are afraid of being poisoned. They may be able to articulate very well conspiracies and plots against them.

The patient may begin to lose interest in things that they had been doing for many years. There may also be a loss of initiative, being very passive in their activities.

It is important for the patient to be diagnosed to ascertain if symptoms are of AD. Such diagnosis may be psychological in nature, a review of family history, blood tests or a brain scan.