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I Can’t
Remember Names – Do I Have Alzheimer’s?
With the medical community's increasing understanding of
the brain, it is now believed to be normal for aging
to be accompanied by: mild memory loss concerning recent events;
mild difficulty recalling names; misplacing objects; and slowed
thinking (taking longer to find the answers to questions).
Dementia is Not Normal Aging
When memory loss progresses over time, and interferes
with normal life, it goes beyond what would be expected as
a part of normal aging. At this point, it may be evidence
of a progressive memory loss disorder, or a "dementia."
There are different types of dementias, with different causes.
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Alzheimer’s
Disease or "Alzheimer's" is just one type
of dementia,
accounting for 50-60% of all dementias. |
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The second most common type of dementia is called "Vascular Dementia" or "hardening of the arteries." This is a memory loss disorder due to strokes -
either one large stroke or many very small strokes occurring over time.
Vascular Dementia accounts for about 10-20% of all dementias. |
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Other
dementias include Pick's Disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob
Disease. |
For these "classic" dementias, there are no known
cures.
Beware of the Dementia Look-Alikes
Because of the lack of known cures for dementias, people
often think that there is nothing to be done about memory
loss. That can be dangerous thinking.
Having memory loss that is beyond normal aging doesn't mean
that a person is suffering from a dementia. There are many
other conditions that can cause memory loss, including thyroid
disease, Parkinson's, and even vitamin deficiencies. When
memory loss develops rapidly (commonly called "Delirium"),
it is usually caused by medication effect, or an infection
or other medical condition. In many cases, if such a condition
is caught early and treated, the memory loss can be reversed
or at least halted.
Diagnosing the Cause
How can you tell the difference between a dementia and a
different cause of memory loss? It's often very difficult.
Don’t try to diagnose this yourself. When you see memory
loss that interferes with normal life:
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Involve
the family doctor, and don’t delay.
Waiting may
reduce the chances of effective treatment for a non-dementia
condition. |
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The
family doctor should obtain some tests to search for
possible medical
causes of forgetfulness (such as vitamin
B12 deficiency, hypothyroidism,
and syphilis). He or
she should treat any abnormal findings. |
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The
list of medications should be reviewed, because medications
can cause forgetfulness that can be reversed when the
medication is stopped. |
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If
there is any evidence of depression or other psychiatric
symptoms, a psychiatric evaluation should be pursued.
Depression and other psychiatric disorders can often
lead to decreased concentration, and can appear like
a dementia, but often can be reversed with treatment. |
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Continue
to have follow-up evaluations with the family doctor,
to monitor
for any change (improvement or worsening)
in the forgetfulness with time
and treatment of any
underlying medical problems. |
Conclusion
The question: "I Can't Remember Names - Do I Have Alzheimer’s?"
We recommend that you answer this way: "Not necessarily
— and I’m going to see my family doctor right away
to check it out."
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[From our Spring 1999 Newsletter]
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