May 23rd, 2009 by Jon LaPook, M.D. in Better Health Network
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The answer is “yes.” An estimated 5.3 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease, the majority – 5.1 million – over the age of sixty five. Research suggests that less than 35 percent of people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias are properly diagnosed. Early diagnosis is crucial for many reasons, including:
1) There are medications available today that can reduce symptoms in many people – at least temporarily – and improve the daily lives of patients. There are also trials of new drugs that researchers hope will slow or stop the underlying processes that cause Alzheimer’s in the first place.
2) Knowing what’s going on can lessen anxiety and allow for planning – not only for patients but for their families, friends, and caregivers.
3) Although Alzheimer’s causes 60-80 percent of dementia in patients over 65, there are other causes that need to be considered, especially potentially reversible ones due to medications, alcohol, low thyroid, low B12, depression, and infections. Dementia can also be caused by tumors, increased pressure, blood clots and other abnormalities within the head itself that can be detected by a CT or MRI of the brain. And patients with “vascular dementia” due to problems such as multiple small strokes (that may not have caused any other symptoms) can be treated with measures that include medications and lifestyle adjustments to lower their cardiovascular risk.
The Alzheimer’s Association is a terrific resource for information about Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Its website includes ten warning signs for Alzheimer’s Disease.
May 21st, 2009 by Jon LaPook, M.D. in Better Health Network, Video
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There are few conditions more frightening to my patients – and to me – than dementia. It’s easily the most common fear voiced in my office. One woman recently said, “I couldn’t think of her name and I’ve known her for years; I think I may have Alzheimer’s.” Another patient, a physician, half-jokingly asked, “How do I know if I’m losing it or have just misplaced it?” Behind his nervous attempt at humor was a deadly serious concern.
The most common form of dementia in the elderly is Alzheimer’s disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, it affects as many as 5.3 million Americans. Especially cruel is the twilight phase when patients can still understand what they are losing, when they can see the receding silhouette of their memories but cannot reclaim what they’ve lost. This was brought home to me very poignantly last year when I interviewed 65 year old Carol and her husband Mike about Carol’s Alzheimer’s. At one point, Carol could not remember how long she’d been married even though I had just reminded her two minutes earlier. At another point, Mike – a retired cop – broke down talking about his wife’s illness. All the words in the world cannot adequately describe the anguish conveyed by the looks on their faces, the tone of their voices.
Often forgotten in the tragedy of dementia are the caretakers, frequently family members whose lives are torpedoed by the devastating illness. In this week’s CBS Doc Dot Com, I speak with Gloria Signorini, an 80 year old woman with dementia and with her daughter, Joanne, who has put her life on hold to take care of her mother. Mrs. Signorini’s physician, Dr. Gayatri Devi, an expert in dementia at NYU Langone Medical Center, provides perspective about Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
** Editor’s Note: Please click on this link to watch the video (I’m having technical difficulties embedding it here)**
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