Smith, Arthur L., and Peter J. Whitehouse. Progress in the Managementof Alzheimer's Disease. Personal costs are incalculable. Diagnosing and managing AD continues to be challenging. AD is usually diagnosed through a process of elimination, and age at the time of diagnosis is between 60 and 80 years of age.
Onset can be earlier as symptoms usually go unrecognized at first.
Confirmation of AD is available only upon examination of brain tissue at autopsy. In addition, it is important to evaluate for the occurrence of strokes and to manage mood and behavior disturbances. Vita, Anthony J., et al. Aging, Health Risks, and Cumulative Disability. The authors of this article performed a longitudinal study to determine whether cumulative disability would be more or less prevalent in persons with lower potentially modifiable health risks.