Is it Alzheimer's or early symptoms?

For physicians and families intent on pinning down a diagnosis, one major factor that complicates the clinical picture is the existence of so many kinds of dementia. More than 100 conditions can mimic or cause dementia. Alzheimer's disease is by far the most common intractable condition. But other causes of irreversible dementia include blood vessel disease (vascular cognitive impairment, Binswanger's dementia), other degenerative disorders (frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease), slow-growing brain tumors, or infections of the central nervous system (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, AIDS dementia, neurosyphilis).

In some types of dementia, treatment will improve mental functioning, and in a small percentage, the dementia is completely reversible if treatment begins before permanent brain damage occurs. That's why it is important to report to a doctor any signs of dementia early in the process...Remember if you get Alzheimer's there are no CURE for it.

Early symptoms
Every person is unique and dementia affects people differently - no two people will have symptoms that develop in exactly the same way. An individual's personality, general health and social situation are all important factors in determining the impact of dementia on him or her.

The most common early symptoms of dementia are:

Loss of memory
Declining memory, especially short-term memory, is the most common early symptom of dementia. People with ordinary forgetfulness can still remember other facts associated with the thing they have forgotten. For example they may sometime get lost on their way home by making the wrong turn or briefly forget their next-door neighbor's name but they still know the person they are talking to is their next-door neighbor. A person with dementia will not only forget their neighbor's name but also the context.

Familiar tasks
People with dementia often find it hard to complete everyday tasks that are so familiar we usually do not think about how to do them. A person with dementia may not know in what order to put clothes on or the steps for preparing a meal.

Language
Occasionally everyone has trouble finding the right word but a person with dementia often forgets simple words or substitutes unusual words, making speech or writing hard to understand.

Time and place
We sometimes forget the day of the week or where we are going but people with dementia can become lost in familiar places such as the road they live in, forget where they are or how they got there, and not know how to get back home. For example my mother who made a wrong turn on her way home and end up in a neighbor house, also a person with dementia may also confuse night and day.

Judgment
People with dementia may dress inappropriately, wearing several layers of clothes on a warm day or very few on a cold day, also they may pack food, cloths and shoes together.

Track of things
A person with dementia may find it difficult to follow a conversation or keep up with paying their bills.

Misplacing things
Anyone can temporarily misplace his or her wallet or keys. A person with dementia may put things in unusual places such as an iron in the fridge or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl.

Changes in mood or behavior
Everyone can become sad or moody from time to time. A person with dementia may become unusually emotional and experience rapid mood swings for no apparent reason. Alternatively a person with dementia may show less emotion than was usual previously.

Changes in personality
A person with dementia may seem different from his or her usual self in ways that are difficult to pinpoint. A person may become suspicious, irritable, depressed, apathetic or anxious, angry and agitated especially in situations where memory problems are causing difficulties.

Loss of initiative
At times everyone can become tired of housework, business activities, or social obligations. However a person with dementia may become very passive, sitting in front of the television for hours, sleeping more than usual, or appear to lose interest in hobbies.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms or are concerned about a friend or relative, visit your doctor and discuss your concerns.

Estelle Getty Born: July 25, 1924 in New York City, New York Occupation: Actor: ... She played Sophia on Golden Girls from 1985 to 1992...We are sorry to hear about Estelle Getty condition, for sometime now she had developed and been living with dementia/Alzheimer's for the pass six years, she die earlier today July 22/08.

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